A 

HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTIOlSr 

OF 

FRENCH     FAIENCB 


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PLATE    I. 
HENRI  II.  WARE,  OR  SAINT-PORCH  AIRE  PAIBNCB. 

Candlestick. 

H.  12f  in.     D.  of  base,  6i  in. 


A 

HISTORY    AND    DESCRIPTION 

OF 

THE   OLD 

French  Faience 

WITH    AN    ACCOUNT    OF    THE    REVIVAL    OF 
FAIENCE  PAINTING  IN    FRANCE 


BY 

M-    L.    SOLON 


WITH    A    PREFACE    BY 

WILLIAM     BURTON,     F  C.  S. 

AUTHOR   OF    "ENGLISH    PORCELAIN,"    ETC. 


CONTAINING     TWENTY-FOUR    PLATES    IN     COLOURS,     TOGETHER 

WITH    REPRODUCTIONS     OF    MARKS    AND    NUMEROUS 

ILL  US  TRA  TIONS 


CASSELL     AND     COMPANY,     Limited 

LONDON,     PARIS,    NEW    YORK    &f    MELBOURNE.      MCMIII 

ALL   RIGHTS   RESERVED 


>  re 


7i& 

The  Three-colour  Plates  in  this  ivorh  tvere  onade  and  printed  by 
Messrs.  Andre  Sr  Sleigh,  Ltd.,  of  Bushey,  Herts. 


THE  GEiry  CENTER 
LIBRARY 


PREFACE. 


Judging  by  the  number  and  importance   of  the   specimens  of 
French  Faience  preserved  in  our  public  and  private  collections, 
English    collectors    and    connoisseurs    have    shown    the    greatest 
interest  in  this  fascinating  product  of  the  potter's  skill.     It  is, 
therefore,   surprising  to  reflect  how  little  we  have   contributed 
in  the  way  of  research,  or  even  of  written  record,  to  the  history 
of  its  development ;    of  the  fortunes  of  the  potters  who  made  it ; 
or  of  the  workshops  in  which  it  was  made.     With  the  exception 
of  occasional  articles,  of  short  notices  in  the  general  histories  of 
pottery,  of  a  life  or  two  of  Palissy  which  are  practically  valueless 
from  our  point  of  view,  we  have  nothing  to  show  but  the  hand- 
book of  the  collections  in  the  Victoria  and  filbert  Museum,  and 
that  is  now  all  but  twenty  years  old.     In  France,  on  the  contrary, 
where  every  branch  of  the  history  of  pottery  has  received  so  much 
attention,  it  was  but  natural  that  this  particular  branch,  in  which 
the  artistic  tendencies  of  the  French  people  had  so  clearly  proved 
themselves,   should  receive  especial  attention.     Every  centre  of 
production — and  they  are  to  be  numbered  by  the  score,  if  not, 
indeed,  by  the  hundred — has  found,  during  the  last  fifty  years,  its 
patient  and  enthusiastic  historian.     Their  labours  have  preserved 
for  us — indeed,  in  many  cases  have  rescued  from  oblivion — the 
names,  the  places,  and  the  dates  of  the  makers  and  decorators  of 
the  wares  that  served  the  needs  of  the  poor,  or  ministered  to  the 
luxury  of  the  rich,  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  France 
for  more  than  two  centuries.     At  times,  no  doubt,  one  has  the 
feeling  that  the  enthusiasm  of  the  writer,  collector,  or  connoisseur 


51704 


vi  PREFACE. 

has  run  away  with  the  historian,  but  much  may  be  forgiven  to 
these  patient  and  ingenious  scholars,  for  their  works  are  a  real 
contribution,  if  not  to  the  history  of  France,  at  least  to  the  history 
of  French  taste  and  French  art,  from  the  age  of  Francis  I.  and 
the  Renaissance  to  that  of  the  Revolution.  From  the  time  when 
pieces  of  the  Henry  II.  ware  or  the  dishes  of  the  Bernard  Palissy 
were  made  only  for  princes  or  for  kings,  to  the  time  when  the 
common  people  purchased,  in  the  market-places  of  France,  dishes 
and  plates  decorated  with  rudely-painted  emblems  of  the  Revo- 
lution, what  a  profusion  of  gaily-coloured  and  attractively  decorated 
wares  had  been  poured  from  the  kilns  of  Nevers,  Rouen,  Moustiers, 
Strasburg,  and  their  offshoots  !  The  very  names  are  a  delight  to 
the  connoisseur,  recalling  visions  of  painted  vases,  richly  or  ele- 
gantly decorated  plates  and  dishes,  or  some  little  ornamental  piece 
of  elegant  fancy,  that  found  its  fitting  place  in  an  eighteenth 
century  boudoir.  To  the  historian  of  the  potter's  art  they  recall 
no  less  clearly,  with  their  endless  variety  and  charming  modifications, 
how  the  technique  of  the  Italian  majolica  maker,  which  had  been 
itself  caught  from  the  East,  was  handed  down — changed  in  detail, 
it  is  true,  but  with  all  its  broad  features  unaltered — to  the  age 
of  steam  machinery  ;  only  to  disappear  between  the  rivalry  of 
the  finer  porcelains  of  France  and  the  practical,  matter-of-fact 
earthenwares  of  England. 

As  we  have  said,  all  this  history  has  been  worked  out,  in  minute 
and  exhaustive  detail,  in  France,  but  the  English  collector  or  student 
has  little  opportunity  of  perusing  all  these  volumes  of  written 
history.  It  is  now  his  good  fortune  to  have  a  carefully-digested 
account  of  the  whole  subject,  from  the  hand  of  one  who  has  col- 
lected and  studied,  as  a  labour  of  love,  all  that  has  been  written  ; 
who  has  examined  not  only  as  a  student,  but  as  an  artist  and  a 
potter,  the  collections  of  Europe,  and  whose  lifelong  labours  as 
an  artist  in  pottery  give  him  the  right  to  pronounce  such  authori- 
tative opinions  as  are  set  forth  in  the  following  pages.  We  are 
grateful  to  the  men  who  have  laboured  at  the  history  of  each 


PREFACE.  vii 

factory  or  group  of  factories  in  detail,  but  we  must  be  still  more 
grateful  to  the  man  who  examines  and  digests  for  us  their  often 
ill-assorted  information,  who,  looking  at  the  subject  as  a  whole, 
reduces  each  part  to  its  due  proportion,  and  finally  gives  us  a  living 
sketch  of  the  entire  movement,  which  enables  us  to  place  the  old 
French  Faience  in  its  true  place  in  the  history  of  the  potter's  art. 
It  may  be  permissible  to  direct  attention  to  some  of  the  salient 
features  in  Mr.  Solon's  treatment  of  his  subject.     For  the  fijst 
time  in  an  English  book  the  mysterious  and  fascinating  Henri  II. 
ware  has  been  discussed  in  the  light  of  the  latest  French  discoveries 
and  views,  and,  with  a  caution  that  is  surely  necessary,  Mr.  Solon 
now  proposes  to  restore  the  old  designation  of  Henri  II.  ware  to 
what  has  been  variously  described  as  "  Faience  d'Oiron "   and 
"  Faience  of  Saint-Porchaire."      For  the  first  time,  too,  in  any 
work  on  pottery,  the  productions  of  Bernard  Palissy  are  placed 
in  something  like  their  real  position.      The  history  of  this  great 
but  unsystematic  experimenter  has  received  so  much  attention 
from  writers  who  were  merely  men  of  letters  ;  his  arduous  struggles, 
his  broad  and  advanced  scientific  views,  and  the  final  calamity 
of  his  strenuous  life,  have  made  of  him  such  a  legendary  hero, 
that  it  has  seemed  something  like  heresy  to  suggest  that  his  pottery 
was  neither  very  beautiful  in  itself,  nor  had  added  much  to  the 
forward  march  of  the  potter's  art.     In  a  sketch  as  kindly  as  it 
is  discriminating,  Palissy's  doings  as  a  potter,  apart  altogether 
from    his    doings    as    a  man,   are  adequately  dealt    with,    and 
we  realise  how  little  influence  his  work    had    on    the    develop- 
ment that  took  place    in    French    pottery    in    the    succeeding 
years.     That  the  true  French  Faience,   of  light  red  or  yellow- 
coloured  clay,  covered  with  an  opaque  tin  enamel,  had  its  origin 
in  the  wares  imported  from  Italian  workshops  has  long  been  known. 
How  many  fruitless  efforts,  in  widely  separated  places,  had  their 
little  day  of  partial  success,  and  then  fell  into  failure  and  oblivion 
for  lack  of  influential  support,  Mr.  Solon  now  tells  us.     Success 
was  only  to  come  in  the  train  of  princely  patronage,  as  we  learn 


riii  PREFACE. 

from  the  first  real  establishment  of  a  French  Faience  at  Nevers, 
which  was  to  endure  with  varying  fortune  for  more  than  two 
centuries.     Following  the  thread  of  history,  we  are  clearly  shown 
how  the  artistic  taste,  which  seems  inborn  in  the  French  workman, 
was  to  take  the  technique  of  this  transplanted  industry,  and  use 
it  again  in  designs  and  decorations  much  more  in  keeping  with 
pottery  than  those  of  contemporary  Italian  workmen.     There  is 
a  profound  truth  in  the  statement  that  the  final  development  of 
the  art  of  Majolica  painting  in  Italy   "  was  too  much  akin  to  fresco 
and  oil  painting  to  be  substantially  a  ceramic  process."     It  was, 
indeed,  too  pictorial  to  be  truly  decorative,  too  ambitious  for  such 
a  fragile  article  as  pottery,  and  did  not  depend  for  its  effects  on 
the  most  direct  use  of  its  materials,  as  all  truly  "  applied  "  art 
should.     It  must  always  stand  to  the  credit  of  French  fa'ienciers, 
and  particularly  those  of  Rouen  and  Moustiers  (however  much 
they  may  have  been  influenced  by  the  fact  that  they  had  no  work- 
men trained  to  paint  ambitious  figure  subjects),  that  they  evolved 
those  brilliant,  or  delicate,  designs,  founded  on  the  work  of  con- 
temporary French  artists  and  designers,  that  distinguish  the  work 
of  the  French  factories  of  the  latter  half  of  the  seventeenth  and 
the  first  half  of  the  eighteenth  centuries.     Mr.  Solon  has  rightly 
stated   that  French  Faience  had  little  or  no  influence  on  the 
development    of     English     earthenware,    which     proceeded     on 
totally    different    lines,    but    it    is    interesting    to    reflect    what 
an  influence  the   ornamental  designs  on  the    dishes   of    Rouen 
and  Moustiers  have  had  on  the  patterns  produced  by  English 
potters  in  the  latter  half  of  the  nineteenth  century  for  the  printed 
borders   of  their   earthenware   dinner  services.     One   may  think 
with  regret  of  the  fanciful  "  embroidery  "  borders  of  Rouen,  or 
the  daintily  schemed  and  deftly  painted  Berain  designs  of  Mous- 
tiers, reduced  to  the  level  of  printed  pattern  ;   but  the  homage  thus 
paid  by  our  potters  to  their  French  forerunners  shows  how  well 
these  latter  had  understood  their  business,  and  how  perfectly  they 
had  carried  it  out. 


PREFACE.  IX 

The  flourisliing  days  of  tlie  factories  at  Rouen  and  Moustiers 
mark  the  apogee  of  French  Faience.  When  the  Strasbuig  potters 
borrowed  from  the  German  porcelain  works  the  method  of  decora- 
tion with  over-glaze  colours  and  gold,  we  reach  the  first  sign  of 
that  competition  between  faience  and  porcelain  which  was  to 
end  in  withdrawing  from  the  earlier  ware  the  patronage  of  the 
noble  and  the  wealthy.  So  long  as  French  Faience  could  appeal 
to  the  support  of  the  wealthy  patron  it  was  possible  to  produce 
work  of  a  high  order,  even  in  general  goods,  and  apart  altogether 
from  such  magnificent  tours  de  force  as  the  busts  of  Fouquay  or 
the  paintings  of  Pierre  Chapelle.  When  once  porcelain  became 
an  article  of  regular  production,  its  superior  refinement  and  ele- 
gance of  material  and  manufacture  were  bound  to  give  it  the  first 
position,  and  the  adoption  of  methods  of  decoration  borrowed 
from  the  fashionable  porcelain,  however  perfectly  they  might  be 
carried  out  at  Strasburg,  at  Sceaux,  or  at  Marseilles,  could  only 
delay,  and  not  prevent,  the  relegation  of  painted  faience  to  a  more 
humble  position.  From  even  this  position  it  was  to  be  dislodged 
by  another  rival.-  While  the  French  potters  had  been  perfecting 
their  faience,  the  potters  of  Staffordshire  had  started  from  the  level 
of  the  village  pot-makers  of  Palissy's  day,  and  worked  out  the 
methods  and  processes  of  English  earthenware,  which  was  to  do 
for  the  common  people  what  porcelain  had  done  for  the  rich. 

Within  something  like  thirty  years  the  abandonment  of  French 
Faience  was  all  but  complete,  and  between  the  competition  of 
French  porcelain  and  of  earthenware  made  in  the  English  fashion, 
painted  faience  disappeared,  until  the  artistic  revival  in  the  latter 
half  of  the  nineteenth  century  produced  fresh  and  charming 
varieties  of  new  wares  based  on  the  old  technique. 

At  my  solicitation  Mr.  Solon  has  added  to  his  history  of  the 
old  French  Faience  a  most  interesting  sketch  of  this  revival.  For 
the  first  time  we  have  an  account  of  the  ferment  of  experiment  and 
ideas  which  had  so  much  to  do  with  the  great  artistic  development 
of  modern  French  pottery.     English  collectors  may  thank  Mr. 


X  PREFACE; 

Solon  for  directing  their  attention  to  a  worthy  field  for  the  display  of 
their  passion  that  has  been  but  little  cultivated  among  us,  and 
if  his  account  leads  to  a  better  appreciation  of  the  work  of  the 
French  artists  and  potters,  among  whom  Th.  Deck  stands  pre- 
eminent, it  will  be  all  to  the  good. 

A  word  must  also  be  given  to  the  careful  and  exhaustive  way 
in  which  the  illustrations  have  been  chosen.  By  drawing  on  the 
unrivalled  stores  of  the  museums  of  Paris  as  well  as  of  London,  it 
has  been  possible  to  give  typical  examples  of  every  factory  of  note. 
Some  of  the  objects  chosen  are  illustrated  for  the  first  time,  and 
will  be  altogether  new  to  the  great  majority  even  of  connoisseurs. 
The  shop  sign  of  an  unknown  faience  maker  of  Nevers,  painted  in 
blue  and  yellow  in  the  true  Italian  style,  and  of  very  early  date 
(Fig.  8),  is  of  the  first  importance.  So,  too,  are  the  head  of  St.  John 
from  Lyons  (Fig.  4),  the  authenticity  of  which  is  beyond  doubt, 
and  the  hunting  bottle  (Fig.  6)  attributed  to  Sigalon  of 
Nimes,  one  of  the  earliest  French  fa'ienciers.  Other  illustrations 
of  rare  examples  have  been  found  by  Mr.  Solon,  such  as  the 
Meillonas  dish  (Fig.  13)  ;  the  Paris  salad  dish  (Fig.  29)  ;  the  Bor- 
deaux wine  cooler  (Fig.  43)  ;  and  the  Clermont-Ferrand  jug  (Fig. 
44).  While  in  another  class  of  ware  the  Apt  ewer  and  basin  (Fig. 
41)  are  of  the  greatest  interest. 

In  conclusion,  I  have  to  thank,  in  Mr.  Solon's  name  as  well 
as  my  own,  the  curators  of  the  various  pottery  collections  in  the 
Victoria  and  Albert  Museum  and  the  British  Museum,  in  London, 
and  the  Louvre  and  Cluny  Museums  in  Paris,  as  well  as  in  the 
Museum  at  Sevres,  for  their  assistance  in  the  matter  of  illustrations. 

In  fairness  to  Mr.  Solon  himself  it  must  be  added  that  the 
glossary  is  by  my  hand. 

William  Burton. 

October,  1903. 


CONTENTS. 


Editor's  Preface 

Introduction 

I.  Henri  II.  Ware;    or,  Faience  of  Saint-Porch  aire 

II.  Bernard  Palissy  and  his  School 

III.  Lyons  :  Nimes,  and  the  Italian  Influence  . 

lY.  Nevers  :  Dijon,  Meillonas,  La  Forest 

V.  Rouen  :  Paris,  St.  Cloud,  Sinceny,  Lille,  Valenciennes 

Saint-Amand-les-Eaux,  Saint-Denis-sur-Sarthon 

VI.  Moustiers:    Yarages,  Ardus    and    Montauban,    Apt 

Bordeaux,  Clermont-Ferrand,  Toulouse,  Mont 

PELLIER,    NaRBONNE,    SaMADET 

YII.  Strasburg  :  Niderviller,  Luneville  and  Saint-Clement 
Bellevue  near  Toul,  Marseilles,  La  Rochelle 

SCEAUX,    ApREY 

YIII.  Rennes:  Nantes,  Quimper 

IX.  Saint-Omer  :   Aire,   Desvres,    Hbsdin,    Boulogne-sur- 
Mer,  Yron,  Calais,  Douai,  Montereau,  Sarre- 

guemines 

X.  The  Revival  of  the  Art  of  Faience  Painting  . 

Marks 

Glossary •         " 


PAGE 

V 


19 

29 
41 

47 

61 


87 


105 
129 


137 
151 

174 
186 


LIST    OF    COLOURED    PLATES. 

PLATE 

I. — Heiiri    II.    Ware,    or    Saint-Porchaire    Faience. — 

Candlestick          ......  Frontispiece 

II. — Palissy  Ware. — Dish  :    "  Venus  and  Gupids  ''   .   To  face  page     30 

III. — Palissy. — Ewer  with  Figures         ....  „  34 

IV. — Palissy. — Dish  :    "  Rustiques  FiguUnes  "      .          .  ,,  38 

V. — Nevers. — Flask  :    Apollo  and  Daphne.     ItaUan     Style  „  48 

VI. — Nevers. — Plateau  :    Lion-hunting,  after  Tempesta  „  52 
VII. — Nevers. — Plateau  :  Enamelled  Decoration  on  Persian 

Blue  Ground „  56 

VIII. — ^Nevers. — Ewer,  painted  in  blue  in  Dutch  style    .  „  58 

IX. — Rouen. — Armorial  Plateau           ....  ,,  62 
X. — Rouen. — Bust  of  Apollo  and  Stand,  by  Nicholas 

Fouquay „  66 

XI. — Rouen. — Vase     and     Cover  :        "  Lambrequins  " 

Decoration           ......  „  70 

XII. — Rouen. — Plateau  :     Blue    Arabesques    on    Yellow 

Ground „  74 

XIII.  — Rouen.  — Jug  :  Decoration  upon  an  Enamelled  Blue 

Ground „  78 

XIV.— Rouen.— Tray „  82 

XV. — Sinceny. — Soup-Tureen  in  the  Rouen  Style          .  „  84 

XVI. — Lille. — Armorial  Dish  in  the  Rouen  Style  .          .  „  84 
XVII. — Moustiers. — Plateau  with  Hxmting  Scene,    by    A. 

Clerissy „  88 

XVIII.— Moustiers.— Shaving  Dish  in  the  Olerys'  Style         .  „  92 
XIX. — Moustiers. — Dish  with  Grotesque  Figures     .         .  ,,  96 
XX. — Strasburg. — Clock  and  Stand,  by  Paul  Hannong.  „  106 
XXI. — Strasburg. — Plate  Painted  in  the  Dresden  Style      .  ,,  110 
XXII. — NiderviUer. — Oompotier,  sheU-shaped  .         .         .  „  114 
XXIII. — NiderviUer. — Tray  Painted  in  Imitation  of  Pine- 
wood,  with  Landscape  in  Pink  on  Scroll  .          .  ,,  118 
XXIV.— Marseilles.- Plates  by  Veuve  Perrin    .          .          .  „  122 


With  one  exception  {Plate  XIII.)  all  the  specimens  reproduced  in  colours 
are  in  the  Victoria  and  Albert  Museum. 


LIST    OF 
BLACK     AND    WHITE    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


FIG.  To  face  page 

1. — Palissy  Ware, — The  Temperance  Dish,  from  a  Pewter  Plateau  by 

Frangois  Briot.     Louvre  Museum    .....         32 
2. — Palissy. — Oval    Dish,    with    Reptiles    and   SheUs  :     "  Rustiques 

FiguUnes."      Louvre  Museum 36 

3. — PaUssy. — Plaque,  with  a  Figure  symbolising  "  Water."    Louvre 

Museum         .........         38 

^. — Lyons. — Head  of  St.  John  the  Baptist.     Terra-cotta  of  the  Six- 
teenth Century.     British  Museum    .....         42 

5. — Lyons. — Dish,   with   the   Triumph   of   Galatea   in   Polychrome. 

ItaUan  Style.     Louvre  Museum        .....         44 

6.— Nimes.— Hunting  Bottle.      Attributed  to   Sigalon.       Formerly 

in  Collection  ToUin .44 

7. — ^Nimes. — Basin  attributed  to  Sigalon.     Formerly  in  Collection 

TolKn 44 

8. — ^Nevers. — Plaque  Painted  in  Blue  and  Yellow.     Sevres  Museum        50 
9. — ^Nevers. — Drinking  Bottle.     Itahan  Style.     Cluny  Museum       .         54 
10.— Nevers.— Ewer.     ItaUan  Style.     Cluny  Museum      ...         58 
11. — Nevers. — Ewer.     Persian    Blue    Ground,    decorated    in    White 

Enamel.     Attributed  to  the  Custodes.      Cluny  Museum     .         58 
12.— Nevers.— Travelling  Bottle.     Painted  in  Blue.     Cluny  Museum         58 
13.— Meillonas. — Dish.     Polychrome  Decoration.      Cluny  Museum    .         58 
14.— Rouen.— TraveUing  Bottle.     ItaUan  Style.     Sevres  Museum     .         62 
15.— Rouen.— Drinking  Bottle.  Painted  in  Blue  and  Red  in  the  Dutch 

Style.     Louvre  Museum  .......         64 

16. — Rouen. — Fountain.     Polychrome  Decoration,  with  the  Arms  of 
Henri   de   Montmorency,    Duke   of    Luxembourg.      Cluny 

Museum .66 

17. — Rouen. — Plateau.      Decorated    in    the    Berain    Style.       Cluny 

Museum         ...  ...  .  .  .68 

18. — Rouen. — Fountain.     Polychrome  Decoration.     Cluny  Museum.         70 
19. — Rouen. — Helmet  -  shaped   EAver.     "Lambrequins"    Decoration. 

Cluny  Museum         ...  .....         72 

20.— Rouen. — Inkstand.     Polychrome   Decoration   in  Chinese   Style. 

Cluny  Museum         ...  .         .  ...        74 


FRENCH  FAIENCE.  xv 

To  face  vage 
FIG-  ,         „    -D      / 

21.-Roueii.— Dish  :    Chinese  Subject,  with  "  Embroidery      Border. 

Polychrome  Decoration.     Gluny  Museum  .         •         •         76 

22.— Rouen.— Dish.    Polychrome  Decoration  by  GuiUibeaux.     Gluny 

Museum    •••■'■'          'p,   .„. 
23. -Rouen. —Oblong  Plateau.     Polychrome  Decoration  in  the  GuiUi- 
beaux Style.     Louvre  Museum 

24.-Rouen.-Two   Sugar  Sifters.     One  Polychrome   and  one   Blue        ^^ 

Decoration.     Louvre  Museum       .  .  .         • 

25.— Rouen.— Table-top.     Polychrome   Decoration,    with   the   Royal 

Arms.  Attributed  to  Pierre  Chapelle.  Gluny  Museum  .  84 
26.-Rouen.-ader  Pitcher.  Polychrome  Decoration.  Gluny  Museum  84 
27.— Rouen.— Plates   and   Soup-Tureen,   with   Pattern   a   la   Come. 

Gluny  Museum •  '         oa 

28.-Rouen.-Oval  Dish,  with  Pattern  a  la  Come.     Gluny  Museum         84 
29. -Paris. —Salad  Dish,  in  Polychrome.     Inscribed  and  Dated  1726. 

Sevres  Museum.  .••••■* 

30.-Lille.-Altar    Front.     Painted    in    Blue    and    Yellow.     Signed 

"Jacobus  Feburier,  1716."  Sevx-es  Museum  .  •  •  84 
31.— Lille.-Jug.     Polychrome  Decoration  in  the  Rouen  Style,  dated 

1723.    Glunv  Museum 

32.-Lille.-Teapot,  by  Boussemart,  dated  1768.     Gluny  Museum  .         84 
33.-Lille. -Soup-Tureen.     Rocaille  Style,  Polychrome  Decoration  .         84 

Gluny  Museum       .  • 

34  -Saint- Amand-Les-Eaux.-Dish,  with  a  smaU  Bowl  adhering  to  the 

centre.     Painted  in  Blue.     Signed,   "  N.  A.   Dorez,  1757.  ^^ 

Sevres  Museum 

35.-Saint-Amand-Les-Eaux.-Cruet  Stand.     Gluny  Museum  .         84 

36. -Moustiers.-Fountain.  Polychrome  Decoration,  marked     G.  Kos.  ^^ 

Gluny  Museum      .  •  •  •  •  *       ,,'    '  i,  'i 

37.-Moustiers.-Gentre  Stand.    Decorated  in  Blue.  Arms  of  Marechal 

de  RicheHeu.     Louvre  Museum         .         •         •         '         ' 
38.-Moustiers.-Model   of   a    State    Carriage.     Decorated   m   Blue. 

Arms  of  the  Dauphin  (Louis  XV.).  Gluny  Museum  .  .  9- 
39.— Moustiers.— Helmet-shaped  Ewer.     Decorated  in  Blue.      Gluny 

Museum  .  ..••••'' 

40  -Moustiers.-Dish.     Decorated  in  Blue.     Gluny  Museum    . 
41.-Apt.-Ewer  and  Basin,  in  Marbled  Clays,  by  Mouhn.     Collection 

Leon  Solon  ; '  "        i^^ 

42 -La  Rochelle.-Jardiniere   in  Strasburg   Style.      Sevres  Museum       100 
43  -Bordeaux.-GooHng  Cistern.     Arms  of  F.  Escoubleau  de  Sourdis, 

Archbishop  of  Bordeaux,  and  of  A.  de  Gascq,  President  of  the 

ParUament  of    Bordeaux.        Inscribed,    "  Gartus   Burdig." 

Sevres  Museum 


94 


98 


100 


xvi  FRENCH    FAIENCE. 

FIG.  To  face  'page 

44. — Clermont-Ferrand. — Jug  painted  in  Blue.     Inscribed  and  dated 

1738.      Sevres  Museum     ...  ...  .102 

45. — Strasburg. — Vase,"  Pot-pourri,"  by  Paul  Hannong.  Sevres  Museum      108 
46. — Sceaux. — "Vase.    Painted  with  Medallions  in  "  Grisaille."    Marked 

"  O.  P."     Sevres  Museum 108 

47. — Strasburg. — Jardiniere.     Gluny  Museum.  .  .  .  .110 

48. — Niderviller.— Soup-Tureen.     Gluny  Museum      .  .  .  .112 

49, — Niderviller.— CoSee  Pot.     Painted    in    Imitation    of  Pinewood 

Signed,  "  Kirian  Pinxit."      Gluny  Museum  .  .  .114 

50. — Luneville. — Inkstand,  with  Nozzles  and  a  Watch  Stand.     Stras- 
burg Style.       Gluny  Museum    .  .  .  .  .  .116 

51. — Luneville. — The  Son  of  P.  P.  Rubens.     Figure  in  "  Faience  fine," 

Attributed  to  the  sculptor  Gyffle.     Gluny  Museum  .  .        118 

52. — Marseilles. — Sugar  Basin  and  Stand.     Gluny  Museum       .  .       120 

53. — Marseilles. — Two-handled    Tureen    and    Stand.     Decorated    in 

Gold  and  Colours.     Louvre  Museum  ....        122 

54. — Marseilles. — Two    Plates  by    J.  G.    Robert.        Sevres  Museum       124 
55. — Marseilles. — Vase.       "  Pot-pourri."       Polychrome     Decoration. 

Gluny  Museum 126 

56. — Sceaux. — Plate.  Decorated  in  the  Porcelain  Style .  Gluny  Museum       126 
57. — Aprey. — Sugar  Basin,  with  Cover  and  Stand.     White  Panels  on 

Red  Ground.     Gluny  Museum  .  .  .  .         .126 

58. — Rennes. — Inkstand.     Painted  in  Blue   and  Yellow.     Inscribed, 

"Fecit  Bourgoin,  a  Rennes,  1763."    Sevres  Museum  .        130 


FREIs^CH     FAIEI^CE. 


INTRODUCTION. 

TT  is  most  important  that  in  treating  of  faience  ware  one 
-^  should  first  of  all  settle  the  derivation  and  the  correct  appli- 
cation of  the  term.  That  there  is  much  in  a  name,  when  ceramic 
technolog}^  is  concerned,  it  is  almost  needless  to  point  out. 

From  Faenza,  a  small  town  of  Romagna,  and,  from  the 
painted  majolica  issued  from  its  prolific  workshops,  came, 
indubitably,  the  word  "  Faience,"  applied  in  France  to  the 
superior  class  of  pottery  made  in  that  country,  at  first, 
in  imitation  of  the  Italian  importations.  All  the  varieties 
included  in  the  broad  technical  group  constituted  by  the 
productions  of  the  same  nature,  whether  they  be  majolica  from 
Italy,  or  Delft  ware  from  HoUand,  or  any  kind  of  enamelled 
earthenware  of  foreign  or  national  origin — are  ranged  in  France 
under  the  collective  denomination  of  "Faience." 

The  distinctive  characteristics  common  to  all  the  subdivisions 
of  the  group,  are  that  the  clay  of  which  the  vessels  are  formed 
is  of  a  soft  and  porous  texture,  of  a  light  red  or  yellow  colour, 
and  that  it  is  coated  over  with  a  thick,  opaque,  and  uslially 
white  stanniferous  enamel.  One  might  expect  from  such  a 
precise  definition  that  the  term  should  only  be  used  in  this 
restricted  acceptation.  And  it  was  so  for  a  long  time.  But 
when  the  manufacture  of  light  earthenware  glazed  with  lead  had 
brought  to  a  very  superior  degree  of  excellence,  it  became 


2  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

necessary  to  establish  a  distinction  between  a  newly  improved 
pottery,  siiflSciently  refined  and  costly  to  be  considered  as  an 
article  of  luxury,  and  the  old  style  of  cheap  and  vulgar  crockery, 
also  glazed  with  lead,  intended  for  the  commonest  use.  Con- 
sequently, the  name  of  "  Faience  fine  "  was  given  to  the  former, 
while  the  latter  continued  to  be  called  "Pottery."  This 
distinction  was  definitely  established  after  the  introduction  on 
the  French  market  of  the  fine  English  earthenware,  and  the 
imitations  that  were  made  of  it,  and  it  was,  moreover,  extended 
to  some  of  the  exceptional  productions  of  the  past.  In  this  way, 
such  masterpieces  of  the  ceramic  art  as  the  Henri  II.  and  the 
PaHssy  ware — too  beautiful  and  precious  in  design  and  work- 
manship to  be  fitly  described  by  the  somewhat  derogatory  word 
"  pottery  " — were  raised  to  the  dignity  of  Faience,  although  they 
are,  in  reality,  earthenware  glazed  with  lead. 

The  title  of  this  book  might  seem  to  imply  that  it  treats 
exclusively  of  the  wares  with  stanniferous  enamel ;  it  is  not, 
however,  inconsistent  with  the  subject  if  the  initiatory  chapters 
are  found  to  deal  with  a  kind  of  pottery  which,  speaking 
technically,  does  not  belong  to  that  class,  but  which  it  is 
customary,  among  French  writers,  to  range  under  the  same 
heading. 

As  it  is  not  intended  to  attempt  here  a  general  survey  of  the 
conditions  of  the  potter's  handicraft  during  the  Medigeval  ages — our 
plan  being  limited  to  tracing  the  history  of  its  march  and  progress 
in  more  recent  times  from  the  radical  transformation  that  took 
place  at  the  Renaissance  period — an  account  of  the  rare  and  mar- 
vellous earthen  vessels,  first  known  under  the  name  of  Henri  II. 
ware,  must,  in  order  of  date,  take  precedence  over  all  others. 

One  could  not,  perhaps,  find  a  more  striking  example  of  the 
vivifying  influence  that  the  noble  aspirations  prevailing  at  the 
opening  of  the  sixteenth  century  exercised  upon  the  revival  of 
decorative  art,  than  the  one  afforded  by  a  piece  of  Henri  II, 
ware ;  nowhere  else  is  it  so  plainly,  one  may  say  so 
gloriously,  evidenced  as  in  these  priceless  gems  evolved  out  of 


INTRODUCTION.  3 

a  lump  of  common  clay.  Whatever  praise  we  may  lavish  upon 
their  transcendent  value  will  always  fall  short  of  the  maker's 
deserts.  In  the  exquisite  taste  of  his  artistic  conceptions,  in 
the  spirited  and  skilful  treatment  of  common  materials,  lay  all 
the  secret  of  his  unparalleled  achievements.  The  substances  he 
employed  were  all  of  an  ordinary  kind.  He  had  nothing  better 
to  work  with  than  the  regular  white  clay  and  the  natural 
Galena  glaze  which  the  village  pot-maker  had  made  use  of 
for  centuries  before.  Of  course,  the  simple  and  rough  routine 
ways  of  the  old  craft  were  not  equal  to  the  delicacy  required  in 
the  execution  of  his  dainty  designs  ;  he  borrowed  from  other 
arts  some  most  suitable  processes.  From  the  casemaker  and 
other  leather  workers,  he  took  the  idea  of  stamping  the  plain 
surface  of  his  work  with  an  intricate  ornamentation  obtained  by 
the  impression  of  sharp  iron  tools ;  and  the  damascener 
supphed  him  with  the  notion  of  inlaying  substances  of  various 
colours  into  the  cavities  left  by  the  stamping  tool.  By  this 
unprecedented  application  of  the  combined  resources  of  several 
trades,  a  pottery  was  created  which  was  strikingly  novel  in 
its  outward  aspect. 

The  powerfully  artistic  individuality  of  the  nameless  maker 
of  the  Henri  II.  ware  is  still  more  distinctly  emphasised  by  our 
knowledge  of  the  fact  that  the  means  were  not  wanting  in  his 
time  to  produce  fine  pottery  ware.  Yet,  before  his  advent,  no 
one  had  been  found  who  would,  or  could,  attempt  to  do 
anything  in  that  direction.  Strange  to  say,  after  his  death  no 
one  came  forward  who  could,  or  would,  accept  his  inheritance, 
and,  following  in  his  steps,  continue  to  make  the  incomparable 
ware  which  has  remained  unique  in  its  style  in  the  aggregate  of 
fictile  productions. 

But  if  the  white  ware  inlaid  with  minute  arabesques  had  too 
rapidly  become  a  thing  of  the  past,  the  impetus  given  to  the 
progressive  march  of  the  leading  handicrafts  could  not  stop  short 
at  the  potter's  art.  So,  towards  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth 
century,  assuming  different  forms,  decorative  pottery  of  a  very 


4  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

high  order  was  making  its  appearance  in  several  parts  of  the 
kingdom. 

Bernard  Palissy,  another  glorious  son  of  that  parturient 
epoch,  a  multi-sided  genius  universally  regarded  as  the  father 
of  French  pottery,  was  still  "  groping  his  way  in  the  dark,"  to 
use  his  own  words,  long  after  the  Henri  II.  ware  had  ceased  to 
be  made.  The  pathetic  ordeal  he  had  to  go  through  in  his 
researches  for  a  mysterious  "  white  enamel  " — so  vividly  narrated 
in  his  memoirs — has  made  of  him  a  legendary  hero.  A  better 
acquaintance  with  the  times  he  lived  in  has  now  shown  that  he 
received,  from  the  work  of  his  contemporaries,  much  more 
effectual  assistance  than  he  would  ever  acknowledge.  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  the  inventor  of  the  "  Rustic  figulines  "  never  discovered 
the  secret  of  that  white  enamel  which  had  been  for  long  years 
the  unattainable  object  of  his  dreams ;  the  embossed  and  coloured 
ware  which,  for  want  of  a  better,  he  settled  down  to  make  at 
the  close  of  his  experiments,  was  nothing  else  than  a  variation 
of  that  made  long  before  his  days,  by  his  neighbours,  the  potters 
of  Saintonge,  presented  in  the  refined  form  that  his  inborn  taste 
and  cultured  talent  had  imparted  to  the  crude  but  effective 
notions  of  his  despised  forerunners.  Needless  to  say  he' left 
them  far  behind  in  the  display  of  ingenious  ornamentation 
and  in  perfection  of  workmanship.  The  captivating  fantasy  of 
arrangement,  the  neatness  and  accuracy  of  the  natural  objects — 
plants,  shells,  insects,  and  reptiles — with  which  he  contrived  to 
embellish  his  earthen  vessels,  belong  to  him  alone,  and  were 
well  calculated  to  excite  admiration.  But  if  he  made  a  superior 
use  of  the  old-established  processes  of  French  pottery,  it  cannot 
be  said,  on  the  other  hand,  that  he  introduced  any  material 
change  in  their  practical  basis. 

The  making  of  earthenware,  adorned  with  reliefs  and 
brightened  with  coloured  glazes,  offers  no  difficulty  to  a  potter 
of  average  ability.  Notwithstanding  the  mystery  with  which 
Palissy  surrounded  his  operations  his  style  soon  had  numerous 
imitators.    It  is  one  of  the  rare  instances  in  Avhich  disciples  have 


INTRODUCTION.  5 

shown  tliemselves  to  be  quite  as  clever  as  the  master.  Any 
stamp  of  individualit}^  that  one  would  expect  to  find  in  the 
handiwork  of  a  particular  artist  is  bound  to  be  blotted  out  by 
a  process  uniform  and  invariable  in  its  application.  For  that 
reason  the  productions  of  B.  de  Blemont,  A.  Clericy,  and  other 
masters  of  the  "  suite,"  are  often  mistaken  for  works  of  Palissy's 
own  hand,  from  which  they  are  practically  indistinguishable. 

While  these  final  improvements  had  been  brought  into  the 
manufacture  of  lead-glazed  pottery,  the  first  attempts  at  making 
white  faience  with  stanniferous  enamel  were  being  prosecuted  in 
France.  In  several  towns,  faience  manufactories  were  started  by, 
or  with  the  assistance  of,  experienced  artisans  coming  from  Italy ; 
for  a  time  the  trade  remained  in  the  hands  of  the  majolists,  who 
had  imported  the  secrets  from  their  own  country.  Although 
usually  classified  with  French  faience,  on  account  of  its  locality 
of  origin,  the  ware  they  made  is  absolutely  Italian  in  technics  as 
well  as  in  style  of  decoration.  Whilst  a  new  kind  of  potteiy, 
still  essentially  French  in  character,  had  previously  resulted 
from  the  transformation  of  an  ancient  national  handicraft,  the 
importation  of  the  foreigner's  processes  gave  nothing,  at  first, 
but  poor  imitations  of  a  foreign  ware  in  its  decline. 

In  this  category  may  be  ranged  many  local  undertakings 
which  had  been  successful  in  their  way  during  a  short  period, 
but  were  not  conducive  to  the  establishment  in  the  place  of  a 
permanent  industry. 

No  sequel,  for  instance,  followed  the  estabhshment  in  Paris 
of  the  workshops  and  kilns  in  which  Girolamo  Delia  Robbia 
executed,  in  1529,  the  enamelled  terra-cottas  intended  for  the 
decoration  of  the  "  Petit  Chateau  de  Madrid,"  in  the  "  Bois  de 
Boulogne,"  and  a  variety  of  ornamental  majolica. 

Of  remarkable  excellence  were  the  pamted  tile  pavements, 
manufactured  at  Rouen,  in  1542,  by  Masseot  Abaquesne  for  the 
chateau  of  Ecouen,  the  cathedral  of  Langres,  and  other  places. 
The  painting,  which  betrays  the  Italian  training  of  the  hands 
employed  by  the  master  potter,  did  not  secure  public  favour. 


6  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

Abaquesne's  venture  left  him  a  poor  man,  and  eventually  came 
to  an  end.  About  one  hundred  years  afterwards  the  manu- 
facture of  faience,  revived  in  the  city  by  French  workers  and 
carried  on  in  a  truly  French  taste,  was  to  enter  on  a  long 
and  prosperous  lease  of  life,  which  terminated  only  when 
stanniferous-glazed  pottery  was  abandoned  everywhere. 

Short  and  precarious  was  the  existence  of  the  faience  works 
of  Italian  origin,  conducted  at  Lyons,  towards  1556,  by  Ganibin 
and  Tardessir,  of  Faenza;  at  Nimes  by  Sigalon,  in  1548;  at 
Nantes  by  Jehan  Ferro,  and  at  a  few  other  places,  mention 
of  which  is  recorded  in  contemporary  writings. 

It  was  not  before  1602  that  the  art  of  the  majolist  took,  at 
last,  a  firm  footing  on  French  soil.  In  that  year  the  brothers 
Conrade,  from  Savona,  established  an  important  faience 
manufactory  in  the  city  of  Nevers,  under  the  direct  patronage 
of  the  Duke  Louis  de  Gonzague.  The  rapid  prosperity  of  the 
enterprise  induced  other  potters  to  enter  into  competition  with 
it,  and  to  set  up  other  factories  conducted  on  the  same  lines. 
Their  number  soon  increased  sufficiently  to  make  of  the  town  a 
renowned  manufacturing  centre,  the  productions  of  which  found 
a  ready  market  all  over  France.  The  ware  was  pleasantly 
decorated  in  the  manner  then  in  vogue  at  Savona,  or  in  imitation 
of  Oriental  porcelain,  or,  to  speak  more  correctly,  of  the  white 
and  blue  ware  in  the  Chinese  taste  extensively  imported  from 
Holland.  From  the  informal  combination  of  these  hetero- 
geneous elements  arose  a  special  style  of  decoration,  lacking 
in  originality  it  is  true,  but  one  which  gives  to  the  Nevers 
faience  a  character  of  its  own. 

The  French  manufacture  was  only  to  free  itself  entirely 
from  Italian  influence  when  the  first  permanent  factory, 
founded  at  Kouen  by  Edme  Poterat  in  1G44,  was  ultimately 
brought  into  full  activity  by  his  son,  Louis  Poterat,  in  1673. 
Casting  aside  the  obsolete  traditions  imported  from  Nevers 
during  his  father's  time  by  common  artisans,  L.  Poterat  adopted 
for    his   ware    a    new    scheme    of  ornamentation,   which    not 


INTRODUCTION.  7 

only  tallied  with  the  graceful  inventions  displayed  in  the  other 
decorative  handicrafts,  but  was  moreover  especially  well  cal- 
culated to  bring-  out  to  the  best  advantage  the  capabilities  of  the 
technical  means  at  his  disposal.  The  numberless  modifications 
of  the  scalloped  and  radiating  patterns,  called  "  Lambrequins," 
"  Broderies,"  etc.,  were  all  happy  adaptations  of  motives  bor- 
rowed from  inlaid  wood,  textile  fabrics,  lace,  and  particularly 
from  the  devices  adorning  the  books  of  contemporary  printers. 

An  elegant  and  complicated  design,  somewhat  geometrical 
in  its  disposition,  having  been  deftly  delineated  upon  the  piece, 
the  outline  was  filled  in  with  bright  blue,  Hght  green,  deep 
yellow,  and  scarlet  colours,  applied  in  flat  tints  or  line  work. 
This  simple  method  preserved  to  each  colour  its  full  purity 
and  brilliance.  The  result  was,  from  an  artistic  point  of  view, 
extremely  original  and  effective;  speaking  technically,  it  had 
also  the  rare  quality  of  being  essentially  ceramic. 

The  painting  on  majolica,  as  practised  at  Faenza  and 
Urbino,  admirable  as  it  had  been  in  the  country  of  its  birth, 
was  too  much  akin  to  fresco  and  oil  painting  to  be  absolutely 
a  ceramic  process.  Much  of  the  respective  potency  of  the 
colours  was  lost  through  the  necessity  of  graduating  every  tint 
and  modelling  every  form  ;  the  general  effect  was  often 
impaired  by  this  mode  of  •  treatment.  One  may  add  that 
the  ambitious  figure  subjects,  so  often  indulged  in  by  the 
majoHst,  required  the  talent  of  a  Maestro  Giorgio,  or  a  Fra 
Xante,  to  be  unreservedly  admired ;  treated  by  a  common 
pottery  painter  they  often  verged  on  the  ridiculous.  It  was 
certainly  a  wise  decision  to  avoid  running  this  risk  and  to 
demand  of  such  ill-experienced  hands  as  were  then  obtainable  in 
the  provinces  nothing  more  than  the  execution  of  neatly  out- 
lined patterns  which,  dehcate  as  they  were  in  their  comphcated 
tracery,  could  nevertheless  be  carried  out  to  perfection  by  any 
tolerably  skilled  painter.  Decorated  on  these  principles,  and 
invested  with  an  attractive  and  original  character,  the  Rouen 
faience  proved  at  once  more  acceptable  than  anything  that  had 


8  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

been  attempted  before.  The  widespread  popularity  it  acquired 
was  the  just  reward  of  such  a  timely  transformation. 

The  Delft  potters  were  deluging  the  country  with  their 
products ;  their  painted  tiles  being  particularly  in  demand. 
It  would  seem  that  the  use  that  was  made  of  their  white  and 
blue  pottery  for  external  and  internal  decoration,  stimulated, 
rather  than  hindered,  the  development  of  the  national  in- 
dustry. A  striking  example  of  its  application  to  architectural 
purposes  was  shown  in  the  "Trianon  de  Porcelaine,"  a 
small  hunting  lodge  built  for  Louis  XIV.  at  the  far  end  o± 
the  Versailles  Park,  in  1670.  The  brick  walls  disappeared 
completely  under  a  covering  of  blue  painted  faience;  all 
architectural  adornment  being  made  of  the  same  material. 
The  bulk  of  it  was  obtained  from  Holland,  with  the 
exception  of  a  large  number  of  big  vases  manufactured  for 
the  occasion  by  the  Saint-Cloud  fa'iencerie.  Not  a  vestige  has 
been  preserved  of  all  that ;  but  in  the  account  bills  made 
out  by  Claude  Reverend,  a  Paris  dealer  often  wrongly  described 
as  a  faience  manufacturer,  are  found  the  details  of  the  goods 
he  supplied  for  the  decoration  of  this  fanciful  building. 

A  royal  whim,  a  generous  move  on  the  part  of  King  Louis 
XIV.,  has  been  made  accountable  for  the  patronage  that  the 
French  nobility  extended  to  the  Rouen  potters  under  special 
circumstances,  and  for  a  taste  for  Rouen  faience  which,  having 
originated  in  the  highest  circles,  spread  with  rapidity  among 
the  middle  classes.  Protracted  wars,  famines,  inundations,  and 
stagnation  of  trade  had  brought  the  country  to  the  brink  of 
ruin,  when,  in  1702,  the  great  monarch  and  the  princes  of 
the  blood  sent  their  gold  and  silver  vessels  to  the  mint 
to  be  coined  into  currency.  Ready  cash  was  wanted  to  meet 
the  growing  cost  of  the  war,  and  to  relieve  public  want  and 
misery.  Wealthy  noblemen  were  asked  to  follow  the  example 
of  the  King,  and  assist  in  replenishing  the  empty  State  coffers 
by  the  sacrifice  of  their  family  plate.  The  request  was  instantly 
and  enthusiastically  responded  to.     In  a  few  days  such  painted 


INTRODUCTION.  9 

faience  as  it  had  been  possible  to  purchase  could  be  seen 
replacing,  on  the  dining  tables  of  Dukes,  Counts,  and 
Marquises,  the  vessels  of  precious  metal  gone  to  be  trans- 
formed into  coins.  Eating  out  of  faience — as  His  Majesty 
affected  to  do  on  some  memorable  occasions  —  became  a 
fashionable  fad  among  the  mighty.  Costly  dinner  services, 
handsomely  painted  and  emblazoned  with  the  coat  of  arms  of 
the  noble  patron,  were  promptly  executed  at  Nevers,  Rouen, 
and  other  places,  to  gratify  the  newly- born  craze.  For  a  craze 
it  was ;  and  it  could  not  last  longer  than  any  other  caprice  of 
fashion.  The  brilliant  colours,  the  elegant  designs  of  the  new 
ware,  could  not,  after  all,  take  away  from  it  the  sense  of 
cheapness  and  vulgarity  that  is  attached  by  many  to  all  objects 
made  of  common  clay.  It  is  necessary  to  say  that  the  transient 
success  of  the  Rouen  faience  did  not  give  to  it,  as  has  been 
so  often  asserted,  a  permanent  right  of  abode  in  the  lordly 
palaces  of  the  times.  Soon  silver  and  gold,  with  a  sprinkling 
of  Oriental  china,  graced  once  more  the  banqueting  boards  of 
the  great.  The  few  records  of  the  auction  sales  of  the  period 
that  have  come  down  to  us,  show  that  the  most  elaborate  of 
these  armorial  services,  having  been  discarded  by  their  first 
owners,  changed  hands  for  ridiculously  small  sums.  But  the 
movement  initiated  by  the  nobility  was  taken  up  by  the  whole 
nation.  It  was  the  people  at  large,  the  poor  as  well  as  the 
rich — for  something  was  made  for  each  of  them — who  patronised 
the  gaily  coloured  ware,  and  caused  its  manufacture  to  become 
an  important  and  prosperous  industry. 

The  Rouen  potters  were  not  long  left  to  walk  alone  and 
without  contest  on  the  path  they  had  so  successfully  traced. 
Competition  was  on  the  watch,  eager  to  step  in  and  appropriate 
a  portion  of  the  reward.  Within  a  few  years,  faience  works,  in 
which  the  Rouen  patterns  were  identically  reproduced  upon 
a  satisfactory  imitation  of  the  original  ware,  were  started  at 
Saint-Cloud,  Sinceny,  Quimper,  Lille,  and  other  towns  of  the 
north ;    and    these,    in    their    turn,    gave    rise    to    a    host   of 


10  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

small  factories  making  the  same  articles  on  a  more  modest 
scale. 

At  the  other  end  of  the  kingdom,  old  Provence  had  not 
lagged  behind  in  supplying  the  inhabitants  of  the  southern 
provinces  with  an  equivalent  of  the  white  and  gaily  painted 
ware  so  much  in  fashion  in  the  north.  Moustiers,  a  small 
town  of  the  Basses- Alpes,  in  which  Pierre  Clerissy  established 
the  manufacture  in  1686,  speedily  became  a  centre  of  pro- 
duction second  only  in  importance  to  Nevers  and  Rouen.  The 
earliest  pieces  of  the  Clerissy  period  bear  battle  scenes  and 
hunting  subjects  copied  from  Floris  and  Tempesta,  and  orna- 
ments of  a  style  which  leave  no  doubt  as  to  the  Italian  origin 
of  the  Moustiers  factor}^  It  was  soon  found  that  the  debased 
notions  of  the  Genoese  majolica  would  no  longer  answer  the 
taste  of  the  day,  and  that  a  new  style  of  decoration  would  have 
to  be  introduced.  In  the  engTavings  of  the  French  masters 
of  decorative  art,  Berain,  Marot,  Bernard  Toro,  and  in  the 
grotesque  figures  of  Jacques  Callot,  the  Moustiers  painters 
found  an  inexhaustible  fund  of  elegant  designs  and  facetious 
subjects  admirably  suited  to  the  embellishment  of  their  orna- 
mental ware.  They  never  approached,  however,  in  their  gamut 
of  colours,  the  lively  brightness  of  the  Eouen  polychrome 
patterns.  The  beauty  of  their  faience  depended,  above  all, 
on  the  whiteness  and  brillianc}^  of  a  stanniferous  glaze  un- 
equalled in  the  productions  of  the  other  French  centres; 
it  does,  indeed,  look  at  its  best  when  completed  simply  with 
delicate  traceries  deftly  pencilled  in  light  blue.  This  unpre- 
tentious form  of  ornamentation  was  exclusively  adopted  in 
all  the  southern  localities  where  the  success  of  the  Moustiers 
works  had  caused  the  establishment  of  an  opposition  trade. 
The  factories  of  Ardus,  Montauban,  Clermont-Ferrand,  La 
Forest,  etc.,  did  nothing  more  than  tread  in  the  steps  of  their 
successful  forerunnBrs. 

We  must  now  turn  our  glance  towards  the  east  of  France,  to 
see  the  first  application  of  a  technical  innovation  which   was 


INTRODUCTION.  11 

to  upset,  at  least  partially,  tlie  established  notions  of  faience 
painting.  Towards  1721,  Charles  Hannong,  of  Strasburg,  assisted 
Uy  a  certain  Wackenfeld,  one  of  the  skilled  workmen  who  had 
managed  to  run  away  from  Meissen  after  having  mastered  part 
of  the  secret  processes  of  that  factory,  conceived  the  idea  of 
decorating  his  faience  with  porcelain  colours. 

In  the  usual  course  of  manufacture  of  the  tin-glazed  ware, 
glaze  and  colours  are  baked  together  at  one  operation.  In  such 
a  case  the  painting  is  Hmited  to  the  use  of  the  few  metalHc 
oxides  which  can  stand  the  high  temperature  required  for  the 
perfect  firing  of  the  goods.  By  employing  the  soft  and  trans- 
parent enamel  colours,  which  can  be  fixed  to  the  surface  of  the 
previously  glazed  pieces  by  the  much  lower  degree  of  heat 
produced  in  a  mufile  kiln,  the  palette  at  the  disposal  of  the 
painter  offers  infinite  resources  and  an  intensity  and  purity  of 
tint  quite  unobtainable  by  the  former  process. 

Decorated  in  this  manner,  French  faience  lost  much  of  the 
robust  and  vigorous  character  it  had  inherited  from  Italian 
majohca,  but  it  gained  a  greater  diversity  of  aspect,  a  kind  of 
feminine  refinement  in  its  completion,  which  gave  to  a  com- 
paratively cheap  pottery  the  outward  appearance  of  costly 
porcelain.  Justly  as  one  may  disapprove,  as  a  rule,  of  the  trans- 
ference of  the  normal  technics  of  one  branch  of  the  art  into 
another,  in  this  case  it  was  but  the  legitimate  substitution  of  a 
kindred  process  for  one  which  did  not  offer  the  same  advantages. 
Consequently,  it  may  be  said  that,  notwithstanding  its  pretension 
to  rival  porcelain,  the  Strasburg  ware  remained,  through  its 
fundamental  constitution,  stanniferous  faience  of  the  true  sort. 

It  was  a  welcome  novelty,  and,  as  such,  this  composite  style 
soon  became  the  rage  of  the  moment.  Not  only  was  it 
exclusively  adopted  in  large  factories  established  for  the  purpose 
of  manufacturing  this  description  of  ware,  such  as  NiderviUer, 
Luneville,  Bellevue,  LongT\^%  Sceaux,  and  others,  but  it  was 
also  rapidly  introduced  in  the  older  factories  which,  like  Rouen, 
Sinceny,   Marseilles,   etc.,   found   in  the  practice   of  over-glaze 


12  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

painting  the  means  of  reviving  a  taste  rapidly  going  out  of 
fashion. 

This  proved  the  death-blow  of  the  old  methods;  and  it 
could  scarce^  have  been  otherwise.  The  subjects,  instead  of 
being  painted  upon  the  raw  enamel,  still  in  the  pulverulent  state 
in  which  it  had  been  deposited  on  the  ware,  with  heavy  touches 
and  half-blurred  lines,  were  neatly  traced  upon  the  fully  glazed 
piece ;  the  outline,  as  sharp  as  the  stroke  of  a  pen,  being 
subsequently  filled  in  with  transparent  enamels.  Instead  of  the 
small  number  of  colours  to  which  under-glaze  painting  was 
limited,  gorgeous  pinks,  crimsons,  and  purples  could  vie  on  the 
same  object  with  the  gleam  of  blues,  greens,  and  yellows  of  the 
brightest  hues. 

Between  these  two  styles,  public  taste,  always  eager  for  a 
change,  could  not  hesitate  to  choose.  So  the  pseudo-majolica 
of  the  French  potter  had  to  make  room  for  the  coming  of  a 
porcelain-like  faience. 

The  antiquated  traditions  long  persisted,  however,  in  many 
places,  particularly  at  Nevers.  But  the  products  of  that  kind 
were  no  longer  patronised  by  the  upper  classes ;  painted  faience 
had  become  the  ware  of  the  poor.  At  the  end  of  the  eighteenth 
century  all  the  crockery  sold  on  the  market-place,  and  at  the 
village  shop,  was  illustrated  with  subjects  intended  to  amuse  the 
common  j)eople,  or  to  appeal  to  the  social  aspirations  of  the 
moment.  From  day  to  day  passing  events  were  recorded  on 
common  pottery.  The  history  of  the  French  Revolution  can  be 
followed,  from  phase  to  phase,  in  the  naive  figures  and  telling 
emblems  crudely  painted  on  those  pitchers,  plates  and  salad 
bowls,  to  which  Champfleury,  who  was  the  first  to  collect 
and  classify  them,  has  given  the  name  of  "  Faiences  patrio- 
tiques."  Judging  from  what  remains  of  it,  the  production  of 
this  popular  ware  must  have  been  considerable.  The  manu- 
facture of  stanniferous  faience,  for  useful  purposes,  is  now  quite 
abandoned  in  France. 

Dainty  porcelain  stood  as  the  recognised  paragon  of  ceramic 


INTRODUCTION.  13 

excellence ;  to  obtain  the  nearest  approach  to  it  was  the  desire 
of  those  who  could  not  afford  the  cost  of  the  genuine  article ; 
hence  the  constant  efforts  made  by  the  potters  to  produce  a 
tolerable  substitute.  With  the  best  white  and  blue  faience 
clever  makeshifts  had  been  made  that  did  creditably  play  the 
part  of  Oriental  china;  German  porcelain  could  not  show 
brighter  enamels  than  those  applied  over  the  glaze  of  the  later 
faience ;  but  the  likeness  did  not  go  any  further.  In  all  cases 
the  material  was  coarse,  heavy,  and  brittle ;  the  glaze  was  soon 
dulled  by  use,  liable  to  craze  and  to  chip  off.  These  short- 
comings were  particularly  objectionable  in  all  pieces  intended 
for  the  service  of  the  table,  and  were  only  accepted  as  an 
irremediable  evil. 

One  day  a  ware  of  a  very  different  character  was  thrown  by 
England  upon  the  French  market.  It  was  made  of  white  clay 
and  bore  a  transparent  glaze. 

In  substance  the  vessels  were  thin  and  light,  yet  perfectly 
true  to  shape,  and  hard  enough  to  withstand  free  handling  and 
long  use;  the  glaze  did  not  craze  or  lose  its  glossy  surface; 
lastly,  it  could  be  obtained  at  a  very  moderate  cost.  In  short, 
it  was  found  that  English  earthenware,  while  being  sold  at  a 
price  not  exceeding  that  of  ordinary  faience,  offered  many  of  the 
desirable  qualities  that  had  so  far  been  the  exclusive  privilege  of 
expensive  china.  Coming  to  the  front  with  such  recommenda- 
tions the  intruder  was  bound  to  conquer,  and,  within  a  short 
lapse  of  time,  to  upset  the  whole  conditions  of  a  fast-rooted 
industry. 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  light  yellow  or  white  pottery  of 
a  similar  kind  had  always  been  produced  by  the  French  potter. 
But  since  the  days  when  Palissy  and  his  imitators  had  mo- 
mentarily instilled  into  a  very  simple  process  the  merits  of 
artistic  treatment,  only  the  cheapest  and  commonest  vessels 
had  been  made  in  lead-glazed  pottery.  The  improvement  that 
could  be  brought  into  its  manufacture,  and  the  elegance  and 
refinement   of  which  it  was  susceptible,  were  made  manifest 


14  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

by  the  introduction  of  the  Staffordshire  ware  in  all  its  varieties. 
A  comparison  Avith  the  somewhat  clumsy  faience  showed 
how  much  better  adapted  it  was  to  the  requirements  of 
the  times. 

In  the  Kouen  ceramic  museum  may  be  seen  a  curious  cream- 
coloured  jug,  which  might  be  mistaken  for  a  piece  of  English 
make  were  it  not  that  it  bears  the  inscription  :  "  a  rouen,  1735." 
It  shows  how  early  the  foreign  ware  had  been  appreciated 
and  imitated  in  France. 

From  the  fact  that  after  the  year  1740  very  heav}^  customs 
duties  were  charged  upon  all  pottery  coming  from  England — 
duties  that  were  so  highly  increased  in  1749  as  to  render  them 
almost  prohibitive — we  may  infer  that  the  import  trade  had 
attained  sufficient  proportions  to  be  deemed  a  source  of 
danger  to  the  national  industry. 

Meanwhile  a  spirited  competition  had  been  started  ;  attempts 
were  made  to  fight  the  enemy  with  his  own  weapons.  As  early 
as  1745,  Edme  was  conducting  in  the  centre  of  Paris  the 
"  Manufacture  Koyale  d'Angleterre,"  an  undertaking  highly 
patronised  by  the  aristocracy.  He  advertised  his  making  of 
a  "  Faience  fine,"  or  "  Terre  de  pipe  " — as  white  earthenware 
was  then  called — as  beautiful  as  any  that  came  from  abroad. 
In  the  same  year  Saladin  established,  at  Saint-Omer,  the  manu- 
facture of  a  similar  kind  of  ware,  with  a  view  of  opposing  the  influx 
of  English  goods  which  was  overrunning  the  northern  provinces. 

It  must  be  observed  that  these  isolated  measures  were  only 
the  first  lines  of  defence  raised  against  a  still  skirmishing 
enemy.  The  moment  had  yet  to  come  when  a  crushing  on- 
slaught would  be  directed  against  the  very  front  of  the  forces 
by  the  Avell-organised  invasion  of  the  great  Josiah  Wedgwood's 
incomparable  productions.  They  appeared,  and  in  spite  of  the 
exorbitant  duties  to  which  they  were  subjected  they  commanded 
at  once  an  immense  success.  When,  through  the  treaty  of  com- 
merce, which  came  in  force  in  1786,  English  pottery  was  ad- 
mitted at  a  purely  nominal  rate,  the  manufacturers  rose  in  a 


INTRODUCTION.  15 

body  to  protest  energetically  against  the  continuance  of  a  state 
of  things  that  was  causing  the  ruin  of  the  French  trade. 

The  transformation  that  was  being  gradually  effected  in 
pottery  manufacture  became  general  at  that  moment.  Without 
trying  to  enumerate  all  the  factories  in  which  earthenware  was 
made  after  the  English  fashion  during  the  second  half  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  one  may  mention  the  following. 

Septfontaines,  founded  by  the  brothers  Boch  in  1767 ; 
Longwy  was  connected  with  it  shortly  afterwards;  subsequent 
additions  have  made  of  the  original  concern  about  the  mightiest 
ceramic  enterprise  of  modern  times, 

Sarreguemines,  by  Utzschneider,  in  1770;  also  one  of  the 
most  important  establishments  of  our  days. 

Montereau,  in  1775,  under  the  practical  management  of 
Ralph  Shaw,  of  Burslem,  and  W.  Clark,  of  Newcastle. 

Apt,  in  Provence,  where  good  cream-colour  and  fine  agate 
ware  was  made  by  the  Moulins. 

The  names  of  Orleans,  Douai,  Niderviller,  Luneville,  Saint- 
Amand-les-Eaux,  and  Bordeaux,  are  also  worth  being  recorded ; 
the  "  Prince  of  Wales  Works,"  established  at  Rue  de  Crussol  in 
Paris,  by  Potter,  in  1789,  deserves  particular  mention. 

No  appreciable  influence  was  ever  exerted  by  French 
faience  upon  English  pottery.  Such  stanniferous  ware  as  was 
made  at  Lambeth,  and  later  at  Bristol  and  Liverpool,  shows, 
in  the  first  instance,  the  remnants  of  the  Italian  tradition ; 
in  the  second,  a  direct  derivation  from  Delft  models.  The 
present  condition  of  the  French  ceramic  industry  makes  it 
evident,  on  the  contrary,  that  it  owes  much  to  its  early  efforts 
at  imitating  English  earthenware,  which,  from  a  technical  point 
of  view,  it  has  never  equalled. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY.— GENERAL. 

DuHAMEL  DU  MoNCEAU. — L'art  du  potier  de  terre.     Paris,   1773.     Pol. 

(In  the  Great  Oyclopsedia). 
O.    ET   Bouillon   Langrange. — L'art  de    fabriquer  la   poterie   facon 

Anglaise.     Paris,  1807.     12mo. 


16  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

Bastenaire — Daudenart. — L'art  de  fabriquer  la  faience  blanche  re- 

couverte  d'un  email  opaque.     Paris,  1828,  12mo. 
Bastenaire — Daudenart. — L'art  de  fabriquer  la  faience  blanclie  re- 

couverte  d'un  email  transparent.     Paris,  1828.     8vo. 
Lambert  (G.). — Traite   pratiqiie  de  la  fabrication  des  faiences   fines. 

Paris,  1865.     8vo. 
Deck  (T.).— La  faience.     Paris,  1887.     8vo. 
Gasnault  (P.)  AND  Garnier  (E.). — French  pottery.     London,  1884. 

8vo.     (One  of  the  South  Kensington  Museum  Art  Handbooks.) 
Much  information  may  also  be  obtained  from  the  general  histories 
of  the  ceramic  art. 


I. 

HENRI  II.  WARE; 

OK 

FAIENCE  OF    SAINT-PORCH  AIRE. 


HENRI   11.   WARE. 

Regrettable  as  it  may  be  to  have  to  make  a  retrogressive  step 
in  the  path  of  ever- advancing  knowledge,  it  is  safer  sometimes 
to  return  to  a  good  okl  name  than  to  adopt  a  new  one  which  a 
supplementary  consideration  of  the  subject  may  soon  oblige  us 
to  discard.  The  name  of  Henri  II.  ware  had  been  fixed  upon 
to  designate  an  exceptional  group  of  ivory-white  earthen  vessels, 
daintily  inlaid  with  rosettes,  strapwork,  diapers  of  red  and  black 
clay,  and  bearing,  in  some  instances,  the  royal  arms  and  monogram, 
the  whole  piece  being  covered  with  the  lead  glaze  of  common 
pottery.  Shapes  and  ornamental  devices  proclaimed  that  the 
vessels  belonged  to  the  Renaissance  period  ;  but  they  offered  no 
clue  to  the  discovery  of  the  place  where  they  might  have  been 
made.  The  conjectures  that  were  offered  in  attributing  them 
to  some  well-known  artist,  as  well  as  the  researches  that  were 
instituted  with  a  view  of  fixing  the  locahty  of  fabrication,  have  all 
proved  anything  but  conclusive.  Why  should  we  not  revive  a 
name  once  accepted  as  a  fair  designation  of  the  age  and  style 
of  the  ware,  and  which  does  not  convey  too  definite  an 
attribute  ? 

Ascanio,  the  favourite  pupil  of  Benvenuto ;  Girolamo  Delia 
Robbia,  who  worked  for  several  years  at  Paris;  the  prmter 
Geoffrey  Tory,  whose  typographic  ornaments  present  some 
likeness  to  those  impressed  on  the  enigmatic  faience,  have  been, 
m  turn,  credited  with  the  making  of  it.  No  serious  attention, 
however,  could  be  given  to  such  speculative  assertions.  Neither 
could  the  opinion  expressed  at  the  time,  that  the  nature  of  the 
clay  denoted  an  English  origin,  be  confidently  entertained. 


20  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

One  day,  Mr.  Benjamin  Fillon,  a  learned,  sagacious,  and  trust- 
worthy historian,  suddenly  presented  a  solution  of  the  problem, 
so  ingeniously  developed  and  supported  by  such  documentary 
evidence,  that  no  one  dared  to  challenge  its  striking  plausibihty. 
While  scanning  the  ancient  records  of  the  Poitou  province  he 
happened  to  meet  with  a  statement  which  left  no  doubt  as  to 
the  fact  that,  towards  1529,  some  faience  of  an  undetermined 
sort  was  being  made  at  the  castle  of  Oiron,  near  Thouars.  The 
lady  of  the  castle.  Countess  Helen  of  Hangest,  was  possessed  of 
superior  artistic  abilities ;  a  contemporary  memorandum,  dis- 
covered in  the  family  archives,  disclosed  that,  working  at  her 
instigation  and  under  her  personal  supervision,  the  librarian 
Bernard  and  his  assistant  Charpentier,  were  then  fashioning  and 
firing  ornamental  pottery,  the  description  and  purpose  of  which 
was,  unfortunately,  not  specified.  Fillon,  recollecting  that  the 
coats  of  arms  emblazoned  upon  the  so-called  Henri  II.  ware 
were  mostly  those  of  the  Gouffier,  the  La  Tremouille,  the  Laval- 
Montmorency,  and  other  noble  families  of  the  region,  and  also 
that  the  greater  part  of  the  specimens  so  far  recovered  had  been 
found  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  castle,  naturally  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  he  had  at  last  ascertained  the  birthplace  of  the 
perplexing  vessels.  Let  us  add  that  the  style  of  the  impressed 
ornamentation,  stamped  in  the  clay  by  means  of  iron  tools 
similar  to  those  used  by  the  bookbinders,  was  strangely 
suggestive  of  the  regular  avocation  of  Bernard  the  librarian, 
turned  potter  for  the  occasion. 

No  weak  point  could  be  detected  in  the  concatenation  of 
proofs  adduced  by  the  archaeologist  in  support  of  his  Oiron 
theory.  The  name  of  Oiron  ware  was  at  once  adopted  by 
connoisseurs  and  artists,  without  one  word  of  dissent.  Alas 
for  the  fame  of  the  misled  historian  —  a  victim  of  his  own 
erudition  and  misused  ingenuity — the  proud  fabric  he  had  so 
laboriously  built  up,  stone  upon  stone,  was  doomed  to  fall 
bodily  to  the  ground.  The  memorandum  discovered  at  the 
Oiron  castle  was  authentic  and  explicit  enough ;  the  argument 


HENRI   11.     WARE.  21 

resting  on  its  testimony  was  quite  logical  and  unso- 
phisticated, but,  unfortunately,  the  document  had  no  bearing 
on  the  pottery  in  question ;  it  is  now  accepted  that  it  referred 
to  majolica  pavements,  painted  in  the  Italian  style,  which 
were  being  made  for  the  adornment  of  the  castle,  and  parts 
of  which  are  still  in  situ.  Benjamin  Fillon  died  without  having 
ever  had  any  suspicion  of  the  truth. 

Another  sagacious  scrutiniser  of  old  parchments,  Mr.  E. 
Bonnaffe,  was  to  destroy,  at  one  blow,  all  confidence  in  the 
veracity  of  a  captivating  romance.  In  the  inventory  of  the  goods 
and  chattels  contained  in  Thenars  Castle,  drawn  up  in  1542, 
after  the  death  of  Frangois  de  La  Tremouille,  he  found  the 
entry  of  two  singular  items,  the  further  consideration  of  which 
put  him  on  the  track  of  the  probable  origin  of  the  Henri  II. 
ware.  Among  the  many  objects  of  great  value  enclosed  in  the 
treasure-chamber  were  mentioned  "  Two  tazzas  made  of  Saint- 
Porchaire  clay,"  and  "  a  square  box  containing  two  salt-cellars 
of  Saint-Porchaire  clay."  In  the  "inventory"  of  the  goods 
left  by  the  "  Seigneur  de  la  Bouchetiere,"  gentleman-in-ordinary 
of  the  king's  chamber,  drawn  up  in  1596,  also  appears  the 
mention  of  "four  dishes  and  a  salt-cellar  in  Saint-Porchaire 
clay." 

It  happens  that  among  the  specimens  of  the  so-called  Oiron 
ware  so  far  enumerated,  tazzas  and  salt-cellars  outnumber  all 
other  pieces.  The  particular  care  taken  for  their  preservation 
denotes  that  those  mentioned  in  the  inventory  were  not  pottery 
of  the  ordinary  kind,  and  one  can  understand  that  these  elegant 
vessels,  finely  decorated  with  inlaid  clays,  would  have  warranted 
the  high  value  apparently  set  upon  them.  Saint-Porchaire  is  a 
village  situated  in  Poitou,  near  Bressuire,  not  far  from  Oiron,  in 
the  very  heart  of  the  district  in  which  the  majority  of  the 
examples  of  the  ware  have  been  discovered.  Frangois  de  La 
Tremouille,  whose  coat  of  arms  occurs  on  several  of  them,  was 
Baron  of  Bressuire,  and  may  have  been  the  patron  and  protector 
of  the  clever  potter  at  work  on  his  estates.     It  is  also  noticed 


22  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

that  most  of  the  armorial  bearings  delineated  on  the  finest 
pieces  belong  to  other  branches  of  the  same  family. 

All  the  above  observations,  coupled  with  many  others  of 
minor  importance  gathered  with  great  circumspection,  induced 
Mr,  Bonnaffe  to  ask  us  to  replace  the  name  of  Oiron  ware  by 
that  of  "Faience  of  Saint-Porchaire."  The  only  flaw  in  the 
train  of  his  otherwise  most  sequent  deductions  is  that  the 
pottery  made  of  Saint-Porchaire  clay  cannot  be  said  incontest- 
ably  to  have  been  made  at  Saint-Porchaire.  Indeed,  a  French 
writer  of  great  authority  on  these  questions  announced,  not 
long  ago,  the  revelation  of  some  startling  documents  establishing 
that  it  was  actually  produced  in  the  vicinity  of  Paris. 

Little  is  to  be  said  about  the  technical  processes  employed 
by  the  potter,  whoever  he  may  have  been ;  they  are  of  the  greatest 
simplicity.  The  piece,  after  it  had  been  thrown  and  turned,  was 
coated  over  with  a  film  of  fine  white  clay ;  the  scheme  of 
decoration  was  then  impressed  upon  the  still  moist  surface  by 
the  application  of  small  stamping  irons,  and  completed  by  filling 
in  the  impressed  designs  with  diluted  clays  of  red,  yellow,  and 
black  colours.  Moulded  accessories  and  touches  of  variegated 
glazes  were  added  at  a  later  period.  The  whole  was  glazed 
over  with  a  compound  of  lead  and  ground  glass. 

The  rare  and  matchless-  objects  executed  in  that  simple 
method  are,  nevertheless,  perfect  gems  of  the  fictile  art.  A 
born  artist  alone  could  have  conceived  the  idea  of  producing 
a  style  of  pottery  so  much  in  advance  of  anything  that 
was  made  at  the  time,  without  departing  from  the  ruling 
technics  of  a  common  handicraft.  His  attention  was  not 
turned  towards  the  introduction  of  any  more  material  im- 
provements than  were  necessary  to  carry  out  his  ideals  in  a 
fitting  form.  He  felt  confident  that  genius  and  talent  could 
evolve  marvels  of  taste  and  workmanship  out  of  a  few 
handfuls  of  ordinary  potter's  clay. 

Upon  every  work  that  came  out  of  his  hand,  the  seal  of 
a  strong  individuality  of  jpri'tne-sault  is  strikingly  impressed. 


HENRI    11.    WARE.  23 

Eacli  of  them  is  an  original  creation,  full  of  surprising  novelty 
never  repeated  by  the  maker.  We  realise  that  this  anonymous 
master  worked  with  no  other  object  than  to  gratify  his  innate 
love  of  the  beautiful,  and  to  deserve  the  praises  and  favour  of 
the  exalted  personages  to  whom  he  was  wont  to  dedicate 
his  productions. 

It  is  scarcely  possible  to  admit  that  such  incomparable 
works  were  the  regular  output  of  a  village  workshop,  in 
which  cheap  and  vulgar  pots  were  made  by  common  potters. 
It  is  said  that  such  a  place  had  existed  at  Saint-Porchaire 
from  a  much  earlier  period.  One  is  not  prepared  to  deny 
that  the  artist  may  have  derived  from  these  modest  operatives 
the  materials  he  required,  and  perhaps  the  elementary  know- 
ledge of  a  trade  stiU  unfamiliar  to  him.  An  ornamental  dish 
"  of  Saint-Porchaire  make  "  is  mentioned  in  "  Les  Eglogues 

ET  AUTRES   (EUVRES  POETIQUES  DE  JaCQUES  BeREAU  POICTEVIN." 

Poitiers,  1565.  Such  description  of  the  dish  as  is  given  by 
the  poet  calls  to  mind  the  kind  of  roughly  embossed  and 
coloured  pottery  of  the  times,  but  it  could  not  be  appUed  to 
anything  so  elegantly  designed  and  dehcately  finished  as  the 
Henri  II.  ware. 

Certain  pieces  loaded  with  a  great  exuberance  of  applied 
parts,  and  of  somewhat  imperfect  execution,  would  seem  to 
denote  the  intervention  of  some  pupil  or  assistant  who  might 
have  been  occasionally  entrusted  with  the  execution  of  the 
work,  but  in  all  cases  under  the  direction  of  the  master. 
A  pupn  working  independently  would,  in  all  probabihty, 
have  produced  several  replicas  of  the  same  model ;  as  it  stands, 
the  number  of  pieces  on  which  we  recognise  traces  of  another 
hand  is  much  smaller  than  that  of  the  more  chaste  and  sober 
examples  of  the  style  that  we  may  call  the  first  manner. 

Sixty-five  pieces  of  Henri  II.  ware  have  found  their 
place  in  museums  and  private  collections.  Although  scattered 
in  various  countries,  they  are  all  well  known  by  connoisseurs 
through  the  special  works   and  catalogTies  of  sales  in  which 


24  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

they  have  been  reproduced.  From  the  distinctive  character 
of  the  ornamentation  they  have  been  divided  into  three  classes, 
said  to  represent  three  successive  periods  of  manufacture. 

The  first  class  is  composed  of  small  pieces,  of  elegant  but 
simple  shape,  completed  merely  with  an  inlaid  work  of  black 
and  red  clay.  A  few  covered  tazzas  decorated  inside  and  out 
with  bands  of  rosettes  and  arabesques  may  be  given  as  good 
representatives  of  the  earliest  style. 

The  second  comprises  objects  of  various  forms,  such  as  jugs, 
salt-cellars,  etc.,  in  which  accessories  moulded  in  full  relief, 
human  figures,  animals,  architectural  ornaments,  are  made  use 
of  in  addition  to  the  inlaid  work.  Fifteen  salt-cellars,  all 
different  in  design,  probably  made  at  the  same  period,  testify 
to  the  rule  that  the  maker  had  imposed  upon  himself  never 
to  repeat  the  creations  of  his  fancy. 

The  third  is  formed  of  specimens  of  higher  pretensions, 
characterised  by  complicated  profiles,  a  superabundance  of 
applied  parts,  and  the  introduction  of  variegated  glazes 
coloured  with  metalHc  oxides.  One  may  take  as  typical 
examples  of  this  last  evolution  of  the  style  the  extraordinary 
candlesticks,  a  medley  of  architectural  and  plastic  details, 
the  combination  of  which  makes  up  in  richness  and  originality 
for  what  it  loses  in  sobriety  and  purity  of  taste. 

Noticed  for  the  first  time  by  A.  Pettier  in  "  Willemain's, 
Monuments  inedits  de  I'Art  Frangais,"  Paris,  1839,  the  Henri 
II.  faience  appeared  in  the  curiosities  sales  but  a  few  years 
afterwards.  The  two  first  specimens  that  came  under  the 
hammer  fetched  500  and  1,100  francs  respectively ;  prices 
considered  as  extravagant  at  that  moment. 

Within  the  next  few  years,  however,  the  ware  having 
assumed  its  due  rank  in  the  hierarchy  of  covetable  rarities, 
the  market  value  of  it  went  on  increasing  in  appalling  pro- 
portions. It  has  now  reached  such  a  position  that  it  is  im- 
possible to  foretell  to  what  limit  the  enthusiastic  amateurs 
who    will    contend    for    its    possession    may    be    prepared    to 


HENRI    IL    WARE.  25 

press  their  offers  next  time  one  fine  example  appears  in 
the  auction  room.  At  the  sale  of  the  Fountain  collection, 
one  of  the  candlesticks  to  which  reference  has  just  been 
made  was  secured  by   Mr.   Dutuit    for    a    sum    approaching 

£4,000. 

A  last   remark,  that  could   apply  to   few  other   classes   of 
ceramic  work,  is  that  there  are  no  doubtful  pieces  of  Henri  IL 
ware.     No  specimen  has  ever  been  added  to  our  slowly  gathered 
assemblage  of  typical  examples  of  which  the  genuineness  could 
be  suspected.     The   materials   of  which   they  are  formed  ^  are, 
as  we  have  seen,  of  common  description,  and  no  exceptional 
skin  was  displayed  in  the  workmanship  ;  yet  these  vessels  were, 
and  have  remained,  unique   of  their  kind.     Even   the  slight 
imperfection  noticeable  in  certain  portions  of  the  work  is  an 
additional  guarantee   of  authenticity;   to  imitate  them  would 
baffle  the  ability   of  the  forger   clever  enough  to  produce  a 
deceitful  majolica  vase,  or  a  spurious  PaUssy  dish.     Like  the 
touch  of  the  master  on  an   oil  painting,  or  the   peculiarities 
of  the  handwriting  in  a  MS.  document,  these  inherent  features 
cannot  be  definitely  described,  yet  an  experienced  connoisseur 
finds  in  them  a  safe  guide  to  identification.     Imitations  have,  of 
course,  often  been  tried  by  modern  potters,  but  they  fail  in  this, 
that  they  are  either  too  coarse  or  too  neatly  finished,  and  the 
best  of  them  could  never  be  made  to  pass  for  an  original. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

Delange  (H.).— Girolamo  Delia  Robbia.     Paris,  1847.     8vo. 
Taintueier  (A.).— Notices  sur  les  faiences  dites  de  Henri  II.     Paris, 

1860.     8vo. 
Delange   (C.    and   H.).— Recueil   de   la   faience   Prangaise   dite    de 

Henri  II.     Paris,   1861.     Pol.     (A  second  edition  in  reduced 

form  appeared  in  1888.     4to.) 
FiLLON  (B.).— Les  faiences  d'Oiron.     Fontenay,  1862.     8vo. 
FiLLON  (B.).— L'art  de  terre  chez  les  Poitevins.     Niort,  1864.     4to. 
King  (A.  0.).— Notice  of  the  Henri-deux  ware.      London,  1868.     Fol. 


26  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

Ris    (Cl.   de). — Musee    du    Louvre.     Notice   des  faiences  FraiiQaises, 

Paris,  1871.     18mo. 
BoNNAPF]^  (E.). — Les  faiences  de  Saint-Porcliaire.     Paris,  1888.     8vo. 
BoNNAFF]i;  (E.). — Article  in  the  "  Collection  Spitzer."      Paris,   1890. 

FoL 
Saint-Marc  (C.  de). — Les  faiences  d'Oiron  en  terre  de  Saint-Porch  aire. 

Saint  Maxcent,  1889.     8vo. 
Cheetier  (F.). — Notice  sur  une  aiguiere  dite  Henri  II.     Chateauroux, 

1891.     8vo. 


II. 

BERNARD    PALISSY    AND    HIS    SCHOOL. 


PALISSY    WARE. 

Higher  than  any  otlier  stands  the  name  of  Bernard  Palissy 
in  the  golden  roll  of  the  potters  of  the  past.  Enthusiastic 
writers  have  glorified  his  life  in  prose  and  in  verse.  A 
deep  sense  of  accomplishing  a  too-long  deferred  duty,  and 
of  rendering  at  last  full  justice  to  the  memory  of  an  unac- 
countably forgotten  genius,  pervades  each  of  the  innumerable 
volumes  and  pamphlets  devoted  to  the  narration  of  the  trials, 
the  sufferings,  and  the  ultimate  triumph  of  the  hero.  The 
picture,  as  a  rule,  glitters  with  the  most  vivid  colours;  very 
few  are  the  cases  in  which  some  dark  touches,  more  consistent 
with  strict  reality,  have  been  added  by  a  clear-sighted  and 
unbiassed  historian. 

Of  all  the  phases  of  a  chequered  and  romantic  existence— 
which  Pahssy  himself  has  eloquently  related  in  his  memohs 
—none  is  so  well  calculated  to  excite  our  interest  and  sympathy 
as  the  distressing  period  in  which  he  was  struggling  strenu- 
ously against  insuperable  difficulties,  mixing  clays  and  chemical 
materials  at  haphazard,  in  the  hope  of  inventing  an  ideal  kind 
of  pottery,  the  secret  of  which  he  was  never  to  discover. 

His  writings,  which  embody  the  sum  of  the  most  advanced 
notions  of  his  times,  and  propound  many  a  bold  hypothesis 
of  his  own  towards  the  settlement  of  some  weighty  problems  in 
the  study  of  natural  philosophy,  have  allowed  the  historian  to 
represent  Palissy  in  turn  as  a  scientist  and  a  philosopher;  a 
pioneer   in   the  field  of  geological   and  chemical  research;   a 


30  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

daring  theorist  on  agricultural  improvements;  lastly,  as  an 
apostle  of  religious  reformation.  But  it  is  chiefly  in  his 
character  as  a  potter  that  his  name  has  been  handed  down 
to  us ;  and  it  is  only  in  that  capacity  that  his  many-sided 
personality  will  be  considered  in  this  perfunctory  sketch. 

Bernard  Palissy  was  born  towards  1510;  some  say  near 
Saintes,  others  near  Agen;  both  date  and  locality  of  birth 
are  equally  uncertain.  His  parents  must  have  been  in  tolerably 
good  circumstances,  for  they  gave  him  a  sound  elementary 
education.  When  the  moment  came  to  choose  a  trade  for  him 
he  was  apprenticed  to  a  stained-glass  painter,  and  also  trained 
to  the  practice  of  land  surveying.  At  the  end  of  his  apprentice- 
ship he  started  on  his  wandering  journey  through  the  French 
provinces,  as  was  customary  with  all  the  skilled  operatives  who 
wanted  to  gain  in  this  way  further  teaching  and  greater 
experience  in  all  the  branches  of  their  handicraft. 

Passionately  fond  of  the  acquisition  of  knowledge,  and  gifted 
with  uncommon  powers  of  observation,  Palissy  turned  to  good 
profit  the  years  he  spent  in  travelling.  When  he  returned  and 
settled  in  the  town  of  Saintes,  his  mind  was  loaded  with  facts 
and  information  gathered  by  the  way,  and  he  was  anxious  to 
make  known  the  bold  theories  he  had  formulated  on  many 
important  questions. 

Meantime,  he  was  earning  a  scanty  living  by  painting 
"images,"  and  practising  occasionally  as  a  land  surveyor.  A 
trivial  occurrence  was  to  decide  his  future  career  and  make  a 
potter  of  Maitre  Bernard.  He  tells  us  that,  towards  1542,  a 
curious  vase,  formed  of  an  unknown  substance,  was  fortuitously 
shown  to  him ;  so  deeply  was  he  impressed  by  the  beauty  of  the 
material  that  he  resolved  at  once  to  try  what  he  could  do  to 
discover  the  secret  of  its  composition,  and  to  take  no  rest  until  he 
had  succeeded  in  producing  vases  equally  beautiful.  Of  the 
piece  that  bound  him,  so  to  speak,  under  its  spell,  he  has  given 
no  description,  beyond  saying  that  the  paste  was  a  kind  of 
"  white  enamel."     From  this  it  has  been  conveniently  suggested 


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s 


PALISSY   WARE.  31 

that  it  was  probably  a  specimen  of  Italian  majolica;  an 
assumption  that  camiot  be  entertained  for  one  moment. 
Examples  of  stanniferous  faience  were  not  uncommon  in  France 
at  that  period,  and  he  must  certainly  have  seen  many  of  them 
in  the  course  of  his  travels.  To  enamel  a  piece  of  pottery  in  the 
same  manner  would  not  have  been  a  difficult  task,  for  he  had 
mastered  the  secret  of  opaque  enamel  during  his  stay  at 
Limoges.  In  all  probability  the  curious  object  that  had  left 
such  an  impression  on  his  mind  was  one  of  the  still  very  rare 
examples  of  Oriental  porcelain  in  the  possession  of  some 
nobleman,  of  whom  he  did  not  think  it  necessary  to  give  us  the 
name.  In  attributing  the  inexplicable  whiteness  and  trans- 
lucency  of  the  substance  to  an  artificial  mixture  of  the  nature  of 
an  enamel,  he  fell  into  a  mistake  which  prevented  his  blindfold 
experiments  ever  resulting  in  an  approach  towards  success. 
The  pathetic  account  of  his  distressing  and  endless  failures  has 
however,  done  more  to  perpetuate  the  fame  of  Palissy  than  if 
he  had  actually  accomplished  his  dream,  and  solved  the  mystery 
of  Oriental  porcelain. 

After  fifteen  years  of  fruitless  trial  he  gave  up  all  hope  of 
ever  obtaining  the  "  white  enamel " ;  but  having  acquired  great 
experience  in  all  things  connected  with  the  manufacture  of 
pottery,  he  decided  to  devote  himself  entirely  to  the  making  of 
earthenware  vessels  of  a  much  improved  kind,  which  offered 
none  of  the  difficulties  he  had  had  to  contend  with.  So 
remarkable  were  these  vessels  in  the  originality  of  the  design, 
the  brilliance  of  the  colours,  and  the  perfection  of  the  workman- 
ship, that  Palissy  could  fairly  claim  to  be  the  inventor  of  a 
new  ware. 

The  potters  of  Brizambourg  and  La  Chapelle  -  des  -  Pots, 
villages  situated  in  the  vicinity  of  Saintes,  had  long  been 
making  a  rude  but  picturesque  sort  of  ware,  adorned  with 
embossed  subjects  and  enlivened  with  various  colours.  With 
these  rural  pot-makers  Palissy  kept  up  a  constant  intercourse, 
borrowing  some  of  their  materials,  firing  his  trials  in  their  ovens. 


32  FRENCH    FAIENCE. 

besides  securing  the  permanent  assistance  of  some  of  the 
most  experienced  among  them.  One  is  struck  by  the  hkeness 
exhibited  by  the  robust  work  of  the  village  potters,  and  the 
refined  pottery  of  the  "  inventor  of  the  rustic  figuHnes."  In  both 
cases,  clay,  glaze,  and  colours  are  obviously  of  the  same  nature ; 
the  original  technics  assuming  a  gradual  improvement  as 
Palissy  pursued  their  practice.  It  was  when  experimenting 
with  other  kinds  of  earths  that  he  experienced  his  most  bitter 
disappointment ;  in  short,  he  had  to  revert  for  practical  purposes 
to  the  regular  plastic  clay.  No  modification  was  introduced  by 
him  into  the  composition  of  the  glaze ;  to  the  end  he  used  nothing 
else  but  the  "  Galena,"  or  lead  ore,  employed  for  common 
pottery:  a  thick  glaze  of  a  light  yellowish  tint,  but  brighter 
and  richer  than  that  given  by  any  artificial  compound.  The 
introduction  of  a  more  brilliant  and  varied  gamut  of  colours 
must  be  placed  to  his  credit;  but  one  must  recollect  that  his 
experience  as  a  stained-glass  painter  had  made  him  familiar 
with  the  capabilities  of  metallic  oxides.  Surprise  has  often  been 
expressed  that  in  his  chapter  on  "L'art  de  Terre,"  Palissy 
purposely  refrained  from  giving  any  technical  description  of  his 
own  ways  of  proceeding,  by  which  the  potter's  art  would  have 
benefitted.  He  excuses  himself  for  being,  silent  on  this 
point  by  saying  that  the  secrets  that  have  been  the  fruits  of  long 
and  arduous  experiments  must  remain  the  property  of  the 
discoverer,  and  also  that  researches  and  failures  are,  for  a  potter, 
the  most  efficient  teachers.  Now,  a  plain-spoken  master  of  the 
trade  might,  perhaps,  venture  to  say  that  such  reticence  should 
not  be  attributed  so  much  to  the  determination  of  retaining 
possession  of  many  secret  methods  and  recipes,  as  to  the  sly 
consciousness  of  having  little  to  divulge  that  was  not  already 
well  known  to  potters.  To  disclose  the  simjolicity  of  the 
processes  he  employed  would  surely  have  been  unwise,  for  the 
interest  raised  by  his  attractive  pottery  was  greatly  increased  by 
the  mystery  with  which  Palissy  surrounded  his  practical  labours. 
In  artistic  treatment  Palissy 's  ware  surpassed  anything  that 


PAI.ISSV. 

FlC4.  1. — THE  TEMPERANCE  DISH,  FROM  THE 
PEWTER  PLA.TEAU  BY  FRANCOIS 
BRIOT. 

D.  20in.     (Seep.dS.) 


PALISSY    WARE.  33 

was  done  at  the  time.  The  "Peasant  of  Saintonges,"  as  he 
liked  to  be  called,  had  raised  his  station  much  above  that  of  an 
ordinary  potter.  Far  from  being  the  isolated  and  unassisted 
toiler  he  affected  to  be,  the  excellence  of  the  objects  he  selected  for 
reproduction  in  clay  leads  us  to  suspect  that  he  was  in  touch  with 
some  of  the  best  artists  of  the  period,  and  that  his  education  in 
art  matters  enabled  him  to  appreciate  the  value  of  their  works. 
There  has  never  been  any  idea  that  he  carved  a  single  model 
with  his  own  hands;  but  he  employed  sculptors  of  great 
talent,  and  no  better  models  could  have  been  obtained  than 
those  that  were  produced  under  his  direction  after  the 
engravings  of  Jean  Cousin  and  Etienne  de  L'Aulne,  or  the 
decorative  figures  of  the  masters  of  the  Fontainebleau  school. 
On  some  occasions  his  moulds  were  taken  directly  from  original 
works  in  chased  metal ;  in  this  way  the  admirable  pewter  ewers 
and  plateaux  of  Fran9ois  Briot  were  reproduced  by  him  in 
enamelled  pottery. 

It  was  only  at  a  later  period  that  he  resorted  to  the  practice 
of  adorning  his  vessels  with  reptiles,  plants  and  shells,  disposed 
in  fanciful  arrangements  ;  the  date  of  the  productions  of  this  kind 
is  fixed  by  the  fact  that  the  shells  he  made  use  of  all  belong 
to  the  fossils  of  the  Paris  basin ;  they  could  only  have  been 
made  after  he  had  left  Saintes  for  the  metropolis.  Each  of  the 
details  entering  into  the  scheme  of  decoration  was  moulded 
directly  from  a  natural  object;  the  modeller  had  no  share  in 
the  work.  The  decorative  effect  of  the  piece  depended  entirely 
on  the  happy  combinations  of  these  realistic  fragments ;  the 
neatness  -with  which  they  were  executed,  and  the  harmonious 
brilliance  of  the  colours,  did  the  rest. 

Of  the  most  important  of  Palissy's  ceramic  works,  such  as  the 
picturesque  grottoes  of  enamelled  faience  he  built  up  at  Ecouen 
for  the  Connetable  de  Montmorency,  in  1563,  and  in  the 
Tuileries  gardens  for  the  Queen-Mother,  in  1570,  nothing- 
remains  to  us  but  a  few  fragments  now  preserved  in  the  Paris 
museums,  manifestly  unworthy  of  his  fame.     A  MS.  description 


34  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

exists  of  the  later  grotto,  from  which  we  may  gather  that 
it  was  a  really  wonderful  and  matchless  performance,  so  far 
at  least  as  artistic  pretensions  and  magnitude  of  proportions 
are  concerned;  but  the  scheme  of  the  master  was  probably 
carried  out  by  the  hands  of  common  workmen. 

A  sketch  of  the  vicissitudes  of  an  eventful  Hfe  that  many 
biographers  have  narrated  in  full  cannot  be  attempted  here. 
Nevertheless,  Palissy's  arrival  in  Paris  in  1562,  his  appoint- 
ment at  the  same  date  as  "  Inventor  of  the  rustic  figulines 
and  Potter  to  H.M.  the  King,"  and  the  prosperity  which 
followed  this  appointment,  cannot  be  left  unrecorded.  An 
adequate  reward  for  so  many  years  of  obstinate  struggle  and 
exceptional  achievement  had  at  last  come,  and  it  had  assumed 
the  highest  form  that  any  potter  could  have  desired.  The 
honour  bestowed  upon  him  was  not  a  vain  title.  Pahssy, 
having  been  granted  leave  to  erect  his  oven  and  workshop  in 
the  royal  garden  of  the  Tuileries,  frequently  received  the  visits 
of  the  King  and  his  mother,  who  took  great  interest  in  watching 
the  progress  of  his  work. 

The  report  of  the  wonderful  discoveries  of  the  pot-maker 
of  Saintes  had  long  before  been  circulated  by  the  influential 
noblemen  who  had  patronised  his  early  researches,  and  to  whom 
he  owed  this  crowning  favour.  His  fame  had  preceded  him 
when  he  came  to  settle  in  Paris.  He  was  reputed  to  be  a  man 
of  universal  knowledge  and  a  propounder  of  new  doctrines  in  all 
the  branches  of  natural  science.  In  that  capacity  he  delivered 
courses  of  lectures,  for  which  he  charged  one  crown — a  large 
sum  for  the  times — and  which  were  attended  by  the  most  dis- 
tinguished men  in  science,  literature,  and  art. 

The  treatises  and  memoirs  he  published  in  1563  and  1580 
contributed  to  spread  far  and  wide  the  reputation  he  had 
acquired  in  the  select  circle  of  his  friends.  In  literary  merit, 
either  for  pathos,  choice  of  expression  or  clearness  of  descrip- 
tion, many  pages  of  these  volumes  equal  the  works  of  the  best 
prose  writers  of  the  period. 


PLATE   III. 
PALISSY    WARE. 

Ewer  with  Figures. 

H.  lOf  in.     W.  8|  in. 


PALISSY    WARE.  35 

When  the  end  came,  his  affairs  had  taken  a  turn  for  the 
worse ;  success  and  happiness  had  forsaken  the  old  master ;  it  was 
a  sad  and  terrible  end.  Up  to  the  last  years  of  his  life  his 
patrons  had  been  powerful  enough  to  preserve  him  from  the 
persecutions  directed  against  his  co-religionists.      But  in  1590 

when  he  was    eighty    years  of   age— his    diatribes   against 

all  existing  powers,  his  denunciation  of  prevailing  errors 
and  crimes,  had  become  so  aggressive  as  to  be  considered  a 
danger  to  the  State.  He  was  incarcerated  in  the  Bastille, 
where  he  is  said  to  have  died  after  two  years  of  captivity. 

PaHssy  left  a  good  number  of  successors  and  imitators.  His 
so-called  secrets  were  in  everybody's  hands.  His  sons,  Nicholas 
and  Mathurin,  who  had  assisted  him  during  his  hfe,  continued 
to  practise  the  art  of  their  father.  At  Avon,  near  Fontainebleau, 
in  the  latter  part  of  the  sixteenth  century,  several  potters  were 
making  vessels  and  figures  of  a  kind  absolutely  similar  to  those 
made  by  PaHssy,  and  by  no  means  inferior  in  quahty.  The  name 
of  Claude  Barthelemy,  also  called  Barthelemy  de  Element,  appears 
in  the  civic  registers  at  the  date  1580.  To  him  may  be  attri- 
buted the  charming  statuette  of  a  nurse,  often  mentioned  as  one 
of  Palissy's  best  works,  one  copy  of  which  bears  the  initials  B.  B. 
Another  name,  that  of  Claude  Beaulat,  figures  in  the  register 
for  the  year  1613,  accompanied  with  the  quahfication  of  "  Artist 
in  enamelled  clay  to  H.M.  the  King."  This  title  was  granted  to 
several  potters  in  succession  for  many  years  afterwards. 

At  Paris,  in  the  Tuileries  gardens,  another  potter  to  his 
Majesty  had  taken  the  place  once  occupied  by  Palissy.  It  was 
Clericy,  of  Marseilles,  who  styled  himself  "  Operative  in  Sigillated 
Clay."  Under  the  name  of  "  Terra  Sigillata  "  a  fine  white  earth 
was  then  extensively  sold  in  stamped  tablets  as  a  panacea 
against  many  evils.  Pahssy  had  long  experimented  upon  it,  be- 
lieving that  in  it  he  would  find  the  basis  of  the  mysterious  white 
ware.  It  was  of  an  infusible  nature,  and  it  required,  to  be  of 
service,  the  addition  of  a  fluxing  medium  that  he  could  never 
discover.     Certain  late  pieces,  probably  the  work  of  Clericy,  are 


36  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

made  of  a  clay  of  that  kind ;  the  particles  of  the  material  are  so 
imperfectly  fused  together  that  when  scraped  at  a  fracture  they 
crumble  away  like  sand. 

None  of  the  above  potters  ever  adopted  a  mark  of  his  own ; 
consequently  their  ware  is  frequently  mistaken  for  that  of  the 
old  master.  In  some  cases,  however,  we  can  safely  identif};^ 
a  specimen  emanating  from  the  "  Suite" ;  as,  for  instance,  when  it 
reproduces  an  engraving  known  to  be  posterior  to  Palissy's  death  ; 
or  when  the  subject  includes  figures  in  the  costumes  of  the 
seventeenth  century.  The  fine  dish  on  which  Henri  IV.  is 
represented  running  on  all  fours,  with  his  children  on  his  back, 
and  the  statuette  of  a  nurse  dressed  in  a  cap  and  bodice  which 
came  into  fashion  during  the  reign  of  Louis  XIII.,  illustrate  the 
case  in  point. 

All  biographers  lay  special  stress  on  the  extraordinary 
brilliance  of  the  coloured  glazes  employed  by  Palissy,  a  quahty 
which,  they  say,  the  imitations  could  never  approach.  This  is 
but  one  more  instance  of  an  ill-founded  statement,  which, 
having  been  once  formulated  by  some  accredited  author,  is 
repeated  for  ever  after  with  fuU  confidence.  On  the  contrary, 
a  comparative  examination  of  the  genuine  faience  of  Palissy 
with  the  work  of  his  followers  makes  one  aware  of  the  fact 
that  the  former  is  invariably  of  a  soft  and  subdued  tone,  and 
that  it  is  only  in  the  latter  that  the  intensely  bright  purples, 
greens,  and  yellows  are  to  be  seen. 

The  modern  imitations  on  the  market  are  plentiful ;  some 
of  them  are  sufficiently  deceptive  to  warrant  a  collector  in  being 
constantly  on  his  guard.  Excellent,  however,  as  spurious 
specimens  may  be  in  their  general  appearance,  very  few  of 
them  equal  the  sharpness  of  detail  and  the  harmonious  com- 
binations of  colour  of  the  original.  Moreover,  the  forger  has 
always  been  at  fault  with  the  marbling  at  the  back  of  the 
dishes.  The  work  is  dry  and  patchy ;  the  tinted  glazes 
imperfectly  blended,  and  by  this  alone  a  sham  Palissy  can, 
generally,  be  easily  recognised. 


PALISSY    WARE.  37 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

A  complete  bibliography  on  the  subject  of  Pahssy  and  his  work  is 
beyond  the  scope  of  this  notice ;  the  following  selection  will  be  found 
sufficient  for  the  purpose  of  further  study  : 

Bernard  Palissy.— Recepte  veritable  ...  La  Rochelle,  1563  ;  Dis- 
cours  admirables  .  .  .  Paris,  1580  (this  and  the  above  are  the 
original  editions) ;  Le  moyen  de  devenir  riche  .  .  .  Paris,  1636 
(the  second  edition  of  both  works  published  in  one  volume  by 
R.  Flouet)  :  Les  osuvres  de  maitre  Bernard  Palissy,  publiees 
par  B.  Fillon  and  L.  Audiat,  Niort,  1888. 


Delange  (C.)  et  Borneman  (C.).— Monographie  de  I'ceuvrede  Bernard 
Palissy.     Paris,  1862.     Fol.     (One  hundred  coloured  plates.)  ^ 

Tainturier  (A.).— Les  terres  emaillees  de  Bernard  Palissy.  Paris, 
1863. 

Audiat  (L.). — Bernard  Palissy.     Paris,  1868. 

Morley  (H.).— Palissy  the  potter.     London,  1863.     (Third  Ed.) 

BuRTY  (Ph.).— Bernard  Palissy.     Paris,  1886. 

DuPUis  (E.). — Bernard  Palissy.     Paris,  1894. 

Herbet  (F.).— Les  emailleurs  sur  terre  de  Fontainebleau.    Paris,  1897. 

8vo. 


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PALISSV. 

Fig.    3. — PLAQUE     WITH     FIGURE      SYMBOLISING 
"  WATER." 
H.  22  in. 


III. 

LYONS. 

NIMES,    AND   THE   ITALIAN   INFLUENCE. 


LYONS. 

Of  tlie-twenty- seven  master  potters  known  to  have  been  at  work 
at  Lyons  in  the  early  part  of  the  sixteenth  century,  seven  were 
of  Itahan  origin  ;  they  are  said  to  have  practised  their  art  after 
the  fashion  used  in  their  own  country.  If  this  statement  is  to 
be  accepted,  Lyons  may  claim  priority  over  all  other  French 
towns  in  the  manufacture  of  faience  with  stanniferous  enamel. 

The  important  commercial  intercourse  carried  on  between 
France  and  Italy  was  centred  in  the  midland  city;  there  the 
Medicis  and  the  Sforzas  had  established  a  bank.  Skilled 
workmen  of  all  trades,  potters  included,  were  constantly  coming 
over  from  Tuscany  and  Genoa  to  seek  their  fortune  in  the  foreign 
land.  Documents  still  in  existence  record  that,  in  1554,  the 
Genoese  Griffo,  and  later  on,  in  1574,  two  masters  of  Faenza, 
Julien  Gambin  and  Domenico  Tardessir,  had  petitioned  to  the 
King  to  be  granted  the  sole  right  of  making  painted  majohca 
after  the  manner  they  claimed  to  have  introduced  into  the 
country.  This  might  be  made  to  agree  with  the  previous  record, 
but  only  if  we  assume  that  nothing  else  but  white  faience  had 
been  made  by  their  predecessors. 

No  authentic  example  of  the  work  of  the  earlier  majolists  has 
ever  been  recognised,  unless  one  may  attribute  to  them  the 
beautiful  painted  tile  pavement  of  the  church  of  Brou,  which 
was  completed  in  1586,  before  GrifFo  settled  in  Lyons.  We 
are  more  fortunate  as  regards  the  ornamental  terra-cotta 
produced  by  the  native  potters.     In  the  British  Museum  may 


42  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

be  seen  an  embossed  tile,  bearing  tlie  bead  of  Saint  Jobn  tbe 
Baptist  encircled  in  a  gothic  inscription,  the  very  mould  of 
which  was  excavated,  together  with  other  subjects  of  the  same 
order,  from  tbe  site  of  the  ancient  chapel  of  "  L'Observance  " ; 
the  moulds  and  wasters  seem  to  indicate  that  all  had  been 
made  in  the  place.  The  modelling  of  the  head  is  of  a  very  high 
character  and  absolutely  French  in  style. 

The  probability  that  painted  majolica  continued  to  be  manu- 
factured at  Lyons,  if  not  extensively,  at  least  for  a  long  course 
of  years  after  its  introduction,  is  shown  by  fourteen  dishes  in 
the  Louvre  Museum,  some  of  which  bear  the  date  1646.  None 
of  them  is  marked;  but  the  paintings  reproduce  engravings 
issued  by  the  local  Lyons  printers,  and  are  accompanied  by 
inscriptions  in  the  French  language;  this  has  been  deemed 
sufficient  to  warrant  the  attribution. 

During  the  seventeenth  century,  eighteen  names  of  master 
potters  are  found  entered  in  the  civic  register.  The  number 
of  "FAiENCiERs"  increased  to  sixty-eight  in  the  following 
century ;  but  it  is  presumable  that  the  list  includes  the  names 
of  the  faience  dealers  having  shops  in  the  town. 

Gradually  the  manufacture  dwindled  into  the  making 
of  coarse  and  plain  vessels  of  common  use.  In  1733  Joseph 
Combe,  a  potter  from  Moustiers,  established  a  factory  in  which 
faience  of  more  artistic  pretensions  was  decorated  in  the  stjde 
adopted  in  his  native  town.  He  obtained  for  his  works  the 
title  of  "Royal  manufactory,"  and  received  a  financial  subsidy 
from  the  municipal  council  up  to  1758.  His  Avare  was 
occasionally  marked  with  a  capital  C.  One  of  his  followers, 
named  Patras,  who  worked  at  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth 
century,  has  signed  some  of  his  painted  pieces  with  the  initials, 
I.  P.  S. 

An  attempt  has  been  made  to  establish  the  existence,  at  an 
early  date,  of  some  important  faience  factories  in  the  neigh- 
bouring town  of  Roanne.  But  the  infatuated  writer  responsible 
for  the  statement  has  only  been  able  to  prove   that  a  popular 


LVONS. 

Fig.    4. — HEAD     OF     ST.     JOHN     THE     BAPTIST. 

TERRA-COTTA   OF   THE   XVI.    CENTURY. 


LYONS.  43 

ware,  of  the  "patriotic"  kind,  was  produced  there  at  the  end 
of  the  eighteenth  centurj^ 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

ROLLE  (F.).— Documents    relatifs  aux   anciennes  faiences  lyonnaises. 

Lyon,  1865.     8vo. 
De  La  FERRii:RE-PERCY. — Una  fabrique  de   faience  a  Lyon  sous  le 

regne  de  Henri  II.     Paris,  1872.     8vo. 
Michel  (E.). — Essai  sur  I'Mstoire  des  faiences  de  Lyon.    Lyon,  1876. 
Brossard  (P.). — Les  faiences  lyonnaises.    Paris,  1881.     4to. 
NoELAS. — Histoire  des  faiences  Roanno-Lyonnaises.      Roanne,   1883. 

8vo. 
RoNDOT  (ISr.). — La  ceramique  lyonnaise  du  XYI^  au   XYIIP  siecle. 

Paris,   1889.     Les  potiers  de  terre  italiens   a  Lyon  au  XVP 

siecle.     Paris,  1892,     8vo. 


NIMES. 

Antoine  Sigalon,  born  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Nimes,  was 
apprenticed  to  a  pot-maker  of  the  town ;  his  French  origin  is 
vouched  for  by  unequivocal  documents.  His  work,  however,  is 
essentially  Italian  in  character.  From  the  same  sources  we 
learn  that  he  set  up  shop  for  himself  in  1548,  and  was  authorised 
to  raise  all  the  clay  he  wanted  to  carry  on  his  trade  as  a  potter. 
His  regular  output  consisted  of  common  pottery  and  tiles,  but  he 
also  acquired  some  notoriety  for  his  painted  faience,  "  after 
the  fashion  of  Pisa."  Ornamental  tazzas  and  vases,  and  sets  of 
drug-pots  for  the  adornment  of  the  apothecaries'  officinas  in  the 
southern  provinces,  were  his  speciality.  How  he  came  to  master 
the  foreigners'  processes  so  thoroughly  that  his  ware  is  equal 
to  fine  Italian  majolica  has  never  transpired.  It  is  certain, 
however,  that  he  possessed  all  their  secrets,  since  in  his  will, 
dated  1590,  he  bequeathed  to  his  nephew  "  his  tools  and  his 
recipes  for  colours."  His  heir  does  not  appear  to  have  taken 
advantage  of  the  legacy,  for  no  more  painted  faience  was  made 
at  Nimes  after  the  death  of  Sigalon. 


44  FRENCH    FAIENCE. 

Three  pieces  coming  from  his  atelier,  if  not  actually  made 
by  his  hand,  have  been  authenticated.  Two  of  them  passed 
from  the  Tollin  collection  into  that  of  the  Duke  of  Dino. 
One,  a  hunting  bottle,  is  inscribed  with  the  motto  :  "  seignevr  ■ 
i'E  '  ESPERE  •  EN  '  TOY."  The  Other,  a  basin,  has  the  same  device, 
with  a  monogram  formed  of  two  I's  and  two  C's,  and  the 
inscription :  "nimes,  1582."  At  the  sale  of  the  collection 
the  pieces  fetched  9,200  frs.  and  4,400  frs.  respectively.  A 
bottle  in  the  possession  of  Baron  Gustavo  de  Rothschild  bears 
the  date  1581.  But  for  the  word  Nimes,  Avhich  occurs  upon  one 
of  these  specimens,  they  would  be  taken  for  good  examples  of 
Urbino,  or  Castel  Durante  majolica. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

A.  PuECH. — Le  potier  nimois  Sigalon.     (An  article  in  La  Gazette  des 
Beaux  Arts.) 


LVONS, 

Fig.  5.— dish  with  the  triumph  of  galatea 
in-  polychrome.    italian  style. 

D.  19in.     (See  2%  12.) 


NIMES. 

Figs.  6  and  7.— hunting  bottle  and  basin, 
attributed  to  sioalon. 

{See  p.  44.) 


lY. 

NEVEES. 

DIJON — MEILLONAS — LA   FOREST. 


NEVERS. 

The  appearance  of  a  truly  artistic  pottery  can  only  coincide  with 
the  efflorescence  of  all  sumptuary  arts  ;  moreover,  the  very  birth 
and  growth  of  a  new  ware  of  unprecedented  merit  often  depends 
on  the  individual  support  of  an  influential  patron. 

Whenever  the  vulgar  pots  and  pans  which,  for  centuries,  had 
satisfied  the  daily  requirements  of  the  people,  happened  to 
assume  the  form  of  elaborate  and  refined  vessels  of  recognised 
beauty  and  actual  pecuniary  value,  we  find  that  the  trans- 
formation has,  in  most  cases,  taken  place  under  the  segis  of  some 
munificent  Maecenas,  personally  interested  in  a  promising 
invention,  and  anxious  to  promote  its  development  for  the 
benefit  of  alL  We  may  realise,  for  instance,  that  the  decorative 
pottery  of  Palissy  might  never  have  gone  beyond  the  stage  of 
unproductive  trials  had  it  not  been  introduced  to  the  attention 
of  princes  and  noblemen  by  his  devoted  protectors,  the  Connetable 
de  Montmorency  and  Count  Antoine  de  Fonts.  On  the  other 
hand,  we  notice  that  when  such  direct  patronage  was  denied,  the 
growth  of  a  fine  ceramic  innovation  was  nipped  in  the  bud.  The 
failure  of  the  Italian  majolists  to  establish  their  art  at  Lyons  is 
an  instance  of  the  inadequacy  of  unsupported  efforts. 

The  practice  of  this  very  art  of  Italian  majolica,  which 
several  independent  attempts  had  been  powerless  to  acclimatise  in 
France,  was  at  last  to  enter  on  a  course  of  brilliant  and  unbroken 
success,  when  it  was  introduced  at  Nevers  at  the  mstigation,  and 
under  the  protection,  of  the  Duke  Louis  de  Gonzague. 


48  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

Tlie  Mantuan  prince  had  become  Duke  of  Nivernais,  in  1565, 
by  his  marriage  with  the  eldest  daughter  of  the  late  Duke.  A 
lover  of  the  fine  arts,  he  liked  to  surround  himself  with 
artists,  literary  men,  and  scientists.  He  summoned  from  Italy 
many  clever  craftsmen,  and  entrusted  them  with  the  care  of 
establishing  in  his  Duch}?'  the  artistic  handicrafts  which  had 
attained  their  highest  development  in  his  native  country.  If 
the  manufacture  of  painted  faience  was  at  last  carried  on  at 
Nevers  in  good  earnest,  it  was,  indubitably,  in  compliance  with 
the  Duke's  express  wishes  and  owing  to  the  fostering  care 
and  the  financial  support  he  lavished  on  the  conduct  of  his 
favourite  scheme.  Some  uncertainty  prevails,  however,  as  to  the 
name  of  the  majolist  who  brought  it  so  speedily  into  realisation 
that  as  early  as  1590  the  faience  factory  had  become  important 
enough  to  be  praised,  as  one  of  the  glories  of  the  town,  in 
the  dedicatory  epistle  to  Louis  de  Gonzague,  placed  by  G. 
de  Claves  at  the  head  of  his  book :  "  Apologia  Argiropeise,  etc." 

The  credit  may  belong  to  one  Scipion  Gambin,  described  as  a 
"  potter  residing  in  the  town  of  Nevers  "  in  a  baptismal  register, 
on  the  occasion  of  his  standing  godfather  to  a  child  in  1592 
He  was  probably  related  to  the  Julien  Gambin  of  Faenza,  pre- 
viously mentioned  in  connection  with  the  faience  made  at 
Lyons.  As  the  earliest  productions  of  Nevers  are  decorated 
with  subjects  and  ornamentation  denoting  the  influence  of  the 
Faenza  school,  they  should,  therefore,  be  attributed  to  an  artist 
hailing  from  that  town.  Unfortunately,  S.  Gambin's  name  does 
not  occur  again  in  any  other  ofiicial  document. 

The  brothers  Conrade  appear  to  have  a  stronger  claim  to  be 
considered  the  founders  of  a  prosperous  industry ;  at  any  rate 
their  effective  participation  in  its  establishment  cannot  be  made 
the  subject  of  a  doubt. 

Dominic  Conrade,  a  gentleman  from  Albissola,  a  small  town 
near  Savona,  came  to  France  at  an  early  age,  and  had  fought  in 
the  battles  of  the  French  army,  before  he  was  granted  letters  of 
naturalisation  by  Henri  III.  in  1572.     AlbissoLa  was  celebrated 


PLATE   V. 
NEVBRS. 

Flask:   Apollo  and  Daphne. 

(Italian  Style.) 
H.  121  in.     W.  10  in. 


NEVERS.  49 

for  its  majolica,  and  it  is  probable  that  D.  Conrade  tried  his 
hand  at  faience-making  before  he  obtained  ducal  patronage. 
The  fact  is  certain  in  regard  to  his  brother  Augustin. 

Conrade  came  to  Nevers  towards  1584;  he  is  reported  to 
have  sent  to  Paris  fom'  "  buifets "  of  faience  of  his  own 
manufacture  at  the  same  period. 

The  names  of  three  brothers  appear  for  the  first  time  in 
the  parish  registers  at  the  date  1602.  They  are  given  in  the 
following  order  : 

Dominique  Conrade,  master  potter  in  faience  ware. 

Baptiste  Conrade,  master  potter  and  faience  modeller. 

Augustin  Conrade,  potter. 

The  Conrades,  who  belonged  to  the  nobility  of  Savona,  do 
not  seem  to  have  lost  caste  by  embracing  the  potter's  handicraft. 
In  the  same  register,  under  the  year  1604,  the  name  of  the 
eldest  brother  Dominique  is  entered  with  his  full  title  as 
"  Seigneur  Dominique  de  Conrade  " ;  that  of  his  younger  brother 
as  "  Baptiste  Conrade,  honorable  homme." 

Louis  de  Gonzague,  the  first  patron  of  the  Nevers  potters, 
died  in  1595,  but  his  son,  Charles  de  Gonzague,  continued 
to  show  an  undiminished  interest  in  the  progress  of  the 
manufacture  established  by  his  father.  He  kept  in  constant 
communication  with  the  masters,  and  loaded  them  with  special 
favours.  They  were  received  at  court,  and  were  treated  there 
on  a  footing  of  equality  with  all  the  courtiers  of  high  rank. 
Dominique  inhabited,  in  close  proximity  to  the  Duke's  Palace,  a 
pleasant  country  house  of  his  own  ;  as  the  factory  was  situated 
in  the  town  he  could  in  this  Avay  keep  his  private  life  quite 
independent  from  business  duties. 

Baptiste,  having  had  a  son  born  to  him,  Charles  de 
Gonzague  and  Princess  Renee  de  Lorraine  stood  sponsors  to  the 
child.  This  child,  Augustin  the  younger,  received  a  superior  edu- 
cation, and  became  first  physician  of  the  Queen  of  Poland,  Marie 
de  Gonzague.  Augustin's  sisters  married  personages  of  im- 
portance in  the  Nivernais  and  in  Poland. 
E 


50  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

The  son  and  grandson  of  Dominique  remained  potters,  and 
in  possession  of  the  factory,  which  under  their  direction  was 
greatly  improved  and  enlarged.  They  kept,  however,  their 
social  position  as  "  Gentlemen."  The  son,  Antoine,  served  fourteen 
years  in  the  French  army  before  settling  down  as  a  potter.  From 
1634  his  name  occurs  frequently  in  the  registers  ;  first  simply 
as  "  Master  faiencier,"  and  later  on  as  "  Gentleman  and  faiencier 
to  the  King's  household,"  and  "  Brigadier  of  a  troop  of  the 
Queen's  Light  Horse."  He  died  in  1658,  leaving  his  factory  in 
the  hands  of  his  son  Dominique,  the  last  of  the  Conrades,  who 
inherited  also  his  official  dignities. 

During  thirty  years  the  Conrade  family  had  enjoyed  the 
undisputed  possession  of  the  faience  industry  at  Nevers, 
sending  their  products  all  over  the  kingdom.  Their  business 
was  so  prosperous  that  in  1632  B.  Bourcier,  who  styled  himself 
"  Enameller  to  the  Queen-Mother,"  was  induced  to  start  a  com- 
petitive factory ;  he  was  not,  however,  rewarded  with  any 
success.  The  works  did  not  pass  into  the  possession  of  his 
descendants,  but  the  Bourciers  distinguished  themselves  as 
faience  painters  for  four  generations. 

Twenty  years  after,  in  1652,  Nicholas  Estienne  opened  a 
faience  factory  at  the  sign  of  the  "  Ecce  Homo."  About  the 
same  time  Pierre  Custode  established  another  one  at  the  sign 
of  "  the  Ostrich."  Both  were  erected  in  the  same  street  where 
the  Conrade  factory  was  situated,  and  where  Dominique 
Conrade,  the  younger,  was  still  at  work,  and  was  so  to  remain  up 
to  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1658. 

The  Custodes  had  originally  come  from  Italy  as  assistants  to 
the  Conrades ;  it  was  after  Pierre  Custode  had  worked  Avith  them 
at  Nevers  for  twenty  years  that  he  decided  to  commence 
business  on  his  own  account.  He  was  very  successful  in  his 
enterprise,  his  works  became  the  most  important  in  the  town ; 
they  were  closed  only  in  the  first  part  of  the  nineteenth  century. 
The  Custode  family  gave  no  fewer  than  seven  generations  of 
potters  to  the  trade. 


'ly^rYr-r'.^ls^^r' 


cr 


NEVERS. 

Fig.  8. — faience  tablet  in  colours  :  the 
signboard  of  a  manufactory — 
name  of  the  master  unknown. 

L.  14in.     (Seep.  50.) 


NEVERS.  51 

Owing  to  the  establishment  of  these  and  other  factories,  a 
large  number  of  workmen  had  become  proficient  in  the  practice 
of  the  art,  so  that  the  Nevers  craft  could  supply  rehable  managers 
and  skilled  operatives  to  any  master  potter  willing  to  embark  on 
the  manufacture  of  white  faience.  It  was  from  this  source 
that  several  faience  manufactories,  concurrently  started  in 
distant  places,  obtained  their  first  contingent  of  potters  and 
painters.  At  Rouen,  for  instance,  where  the  largest  centre  of 
French  manufacture  was  soon  to  be  settled,  all  preliminary 
difficulties  were  smoothed  by  the  ready  adoption  of  the 
well-tried  processes  brought  over  by  the  Nevers  craftsmen. 
The  condition  of  the  trade  was  still  prosperous  in  1735,  if  we 
trust  to  the  glowing  account  of  the  factories  and  their  pro- 
ductions given  at  that  date  by  Du  Frasnay  in  his  poem  "La 
Fayence,"  pubhshed  in  the  Merciire  de  France. 

It  was  only  later  on  that  the  widespread  development 
of  the  French  faience  trade  caused  the  rapid  decHne  of  the  local 
industrj^  In  1792,  however,  twelve  faience  works  were  still  in 
activity  at  Nevers.  But  the  days  were  over  in  which  a  potter 
could  follow  his  artistic  tendencies.  The  ware,  no  longer  intended 
to  adorn  the  abodes  of  the  great  and  the  wealthy,  appealed  only 
to  the  popular  taste,  and  sought  purchasers  in  the  market-place 
by  a  display  of  catching  images,  roughly  dashed  in  with  a  few 
strokes  of  crude  colour  upon  homely  vessels — showy  articles 
to  be  had  for  a  few  sous. 

Even  at  its  best  period,  the  Nevers  faience  does  not  com- 
mend itself  by  any  particular  degree  of  excellence.  Neverthe- 
less, as  it  is  of  comparative  rarity,  the  early  examples  of  it  are 
highly  valued  by  collectors.  It  is  a  matter  of  regret  that  no 
specimen  of  the  work  made  by  Scipion  Gambin,  or  any  other 
Italian  majolist,  at  the  instigation  and  under  the  patronage  of 
the  Duke  Louis  de  Gonzague,  has  ever  been  pointed  out.  If 
any  such  specimen  is  still  in  existence  it  is  confounded  ^dth  all 
the  similar  pieces  showing  an  unmistakable  Italian  influence,  and 
broadly  attributed  to   the  Conrades.     They  are  all  painted  in 


52  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

the  debased  style  of  the  Savona  majohca,  with  mythological 
or  religious  subjects  copied  from  contemporary  engravings. 
In  some  technical  points,  however,  they  differ  sufficiently  from 
their  foreign  prototj^pes  to  permit  of  a  correct  attribution. 

The  Nevers  clay  and  glaze  are  of  particular  hardness ;  the 
ware  having  been  fired  at  a  degree  of  heat  at  which  the  paintings 
of  Faenza  and  Savona  would  have  melted  and  run  together.  On 
the  Nevers  ware  the  colours  are  fast  enough,  but  rather  weak  in 
tint ;  the  manganese  turns  to  pale  violet,  the  copper  green  and 
the  antimony  yellow  lose  much  of  their  normal  intensity,  and 
the  red  is  always  absent.  The  lead-glaze,  or  Marzacotto,  with 
which  the  Italians  used  to  cover  the  painting  after  it  had  been 
executed  upon  the  stanniferous  enamel,  to  impart  to  the  colours 
additional  brilliance,  was  never   employed. 

In  its  artistic  treatment  the  faience  of  the  Conrades  never 
reached  the  standard  of  good  Italian  majolica.  The  drawing 
of  the  figures  is  awkward  and  incorrect  in  the  extreme ;  the 
effects  of  colour  decidedly  poor.  It  must  be  acknowledged 
that  the  gentlemen-potters,  experienced  manufacturers  and 
clever  business  men  as  they  may  have  been,  were  but 
mediocre  artists,  nor  were  they  ever  assisted  by  a  truly 
talented    painter. 

To  the  Conrades  is  due  the  introduction  of  a  style  of 
decoration  which,  if  not  always  artistic  in  design,  had  at  least 
the  merit  of  being  very  effective.  Upon  a  plain  ground  of 
intense  and  bright  cobalt  blue,  flowers  and  foliage,  birds,  animals, 
or  figures  of  conventional  treatment  were  "  impasted  "  in  opaque 
white  enamel.  This  is  known  as  the  "  Persian  stjde."  But  if  it 
bears  a  distant  likeness  to  the  Persian  ware,  which  the  makers 
had  very  little  chance  of  seeing  and  imitating,  that  is  no  more  than 
a  curious  coincidence.  In  all  probability  this  kind  of  decoration 
arose  from  the  imitation  of  enamel  painting  on  copper.  Several 
enamellers  in  the  Limoges  style  had  successfully  practised  their 
art  in  the  town  long  before  the  coming  of  the  first  fa'/enciers. 
Be  that  as  it  may,  the  early  specimens  with  white  impasto  upon 


PLATE    VI. 

NBVBRS. 

Plateau:   Lion-hunting, 

(After  Tempest  A.) 
D.  m  in. 


NEVERS.  53 

a  brilliant  blue  groimd  are  considered  as  the  most  typical  pro- 
ductions of  tbe  Nevers  factories. 

To  the  Italian  st3de  of  design  succeeded  the  pseudo- Oriental 
patterns.  The  Dutch  had  brought  into  fashion  a  free  interpre- 
tation of  Chinese  and  Japanese  models;  the  French  faience 
decorated  m  the  same  manner  was  an  imitation  of  the  ware 
imported  from  Holland  rather  than  of  the  genuine  Eastern 
porcelain.  This  transformation  occurred  towards  1640,  at  which 
time  mythological  subjects  seem  to  have  been  completely 
abandoned. 

No  distinctive  style  ever  came  out  of  the  various  modes  of 
decoration  that  Nevers  borrowed  in  succession  from  the  more 
enterprising  factories  which  had  taken  the  lead  of  the  trade  by 
bringing  out  a  fresh  style  of  ornamentation  strikingly  original  and 
effective.  It  was  at  first  the  "lambrequins"  and  radiating  patterns 
of  Rouen ;  then  the  Berain  and  Toro  designs  of  Moustiers  ;  and, 
lastly,  the  rococo  scrolls  of  Dresden,  which  were  put  under  con- 
tribution by  the  Nevers  manufacturers,  when  they  realised  the 
necessity  of  painting  their  faience  with  acceptable  imitations  of 
the  style  most  in  demand  at  the  moment. 

Towards  1790  all  efforts  to  keep  pace  with  the  variations 
of  fashion  had  been  definitely  given  up.  A  cheap  kind  of 
routine  painting  had  established  itself  in  the  trade,  and  it 
long  continued  to  prevail  without  change.  Thousands  of 
domestic  vessels  potted  by  the  twelve  factories  of  the 
town  were  enlivened  with  dashes  of  gaudy  colours  by  the 
drudges  of  the  painting  shops.  Coarse  and  unseemly  as  the 
workmanship  was  bound  to  be,  its  very  boldness  and  freedom 
imparted  to  it  a  charm  denied  to  all  that  is  purely  mechanical.  ^ 
Nor  were  fancy  and  imagination  altogether  banished  from  the 
production,  for  by  the  side  of  the  humdrum  pattern  reproduced 
by  all  hands  we  find  an  occasional  subject  of  actuality,  a 
presentation  piece,  which  denotes  personal  taste  and  wit  on  the 
part  of  the  painter.  All  religious  customs  were  dear  to  the 
Nivernais  people;  a  faience  dish,  or  a  jug  inscribed  and  adorned 


54  FRENCH    FAIENCE. 

with  the  name  and  representation  of  a  patron  saint,  were  held 
to  be  the  most  appropriate  presents  to  be  offered  to  a  friend  on 
some  momentous  occasion ;  pieces  of  that  description  are  still 
abundant.  At  all  periods  coloured  statuettes  of  a  religious 
character  were  extensively  produced  by  the  fa'ienciers.  The 
ability  of  the  sculptor  is  just  on  a  level  with  that  of  the 
painter,  in  no  case  have  they  any  pretension  to  artistic 
merit. 

The  great  revolution  of  1789  had  its  eventful  course 
illustrated  from  day  to  day  upon  the  Nevers  faience  in  telling 
emblems  and  short  inscriptions  which  reflected  the  national 
aspirations  and  recorded  the  accomplished  facts.  Immense 
consignments  of  it  were  constantly  despatched  to  the  North  and 
West  of  France ;  and  the  itinerant  dealer  who  carried  his  stock 
of  cheap  crockery  from  fair  to  fair  had  for  a  long  time  nothing 
else  to  offer  to  his  habitual  customers.  Special  collectors  have 
brought  together  comprehensive  series  of  a  ware,  highly 
interesting  from  the  historical  point  of  view,  but  somewhat 
misnamed  as  "  Patriotic  faience."  In  whatever  province  the 
specimens  may  now  be  found,  the  larger  number  of  them 
originally  came  from  the  Nevers  factories. 

A  regrettable  absence  of  marks,  and  the  flagrant  imitation 
of  all  the  successful  types  of  other  manufactures,  render  the 
identification  of  genuine  examples  of  Nevers  a  matter  of 
difficulty ;  but  certain  peculiarities  in  the  technique  are  often 
sufficient  to  determine  the  true  provenance  of  an  otherwise 
doubtful  piece.  The  occasional  monograms  or  names  affixed  to 
isolated  specimens  are  of  too  rare  occurrence  to  be  of  much  use. 
I  have,  however,  given  a  few  of  these  latter.  In  the  towm  of 
Nevers  a  museum  has  been  formed  in  which  all  the  phases  of 
the  local  productions  are  well  represented. 

Of  the  minor  factories  of  the  Nivernais,  La  Charite-sur- 
Loire — La  Node — Bois-le-Comte — Saint- Verain — Yarzy,  there 
is  little  to  say  beyond  recording  their  names. 


NEV£RS. 

Fig.  9. — drinking  bottle— Italian  style. 


NEVERS.  55 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

Gkouet  (C). — De  I'Art  ceramique  dans  le  Nivernais.     Nevers,  1844. 

8vo. 
Du  Broc  de  Segange  (L.).— La  faience  et  les  faienciers  de  Nevers. 

Nevers,  1863.     4to. 
ToYTOT  (E.  de). — Faienceries  de  Nevers.     Paris,  1866.     8vo. 
Grasset. — Historique  de  la  faienoerie  de  La  Charite-sur-Loire.     Pariss, 

1876.     8vo. 
FiiiFPB  ET  BouvEAULT.— Faiences  nivernaises.     Nevers,  1885.     4to. 
FiBPPE. — La  faience   patronimique  .  .  .  dans  la  ceramique  nivernaise. 

Clameoy,  1901.     8vo. 
Massillon-Rouvet. — Les  Conrades  ;   introduction  des  faiences  d'Art 

a  Nevers.     Nevers,  1898.     8vo. 
Massillon-Rouvet. — Les  Conrades  ;  leurs  faiences  d'Art.   Paris,  1901. 

8vo. 

DIJON. 

The  mustard  of  Dijon  was  without  a  rival  in  France,  and  for 
a  long  period  it  was  made  the  object  of  a  considerable  trade.  It 
was  sold  in  faience  pots,  the  making  of  which  kept  several 
factories  tolerably  busy  for  close  on  two  centuries. 

A  collection  of  Dijon  faience  is,  I  fear,  bound  to  shine  chiefly 
by  the  variety  of  its  mustard  pots.  Some  of  them,  aristocratic  in 
appearance,  are  painted  with  the  royal  arms  and  ornamented 
in  the  Nevers  style ;  the  rest  seem  sadly  plebeian,  bearing  only 
the  name  of  the  contents.  Then,  there  are  the  large  jars  in 
which  the  retailer  kept  the  tasty  condiment,  to  be  doled  out 
in  pennyworths.  Scrolls  and  flowers  engarland  the  inscription : 
"  Moutarde  de  Dijon,"  which  denotes  that  the  jar  is  intended  for 
the  grocer's  shop ;  when  destined  for  the  apothecary's  it  becomes, 
of  course,  "  Mustarda  Dijonensis."  If  I  add  to  this  that  the 
rules  of  fashion,  which  do  not  respect  even  mustard  pots, 
caused  several  transformations  of  the  shape  as  time  went  on — I 
shall  have  said  enough  to  show  that  such  a  collection  may  be 
formed,  but  that  it  would  make  a  rather  singular  assemblage. 

A  volume  prepossessing  enough  in  its  outward  appearance 
to  invite  a  glance  through  its  pages,  has  been  devoted  to  the 
history  of  the  Dijon  faience;  it  must  not  be  expected  that  the 


56  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

furtlier  examination  of  a  book  written  on  a  subject  of  such 
narrow  scope  can  greatly  assist  the  advance  of  general  ceramic 
knowledge.  It  is  not,  hoAvever,  without  interest  for  the  study  of 
provincial  industrj^.  We  learn  from  it  that  between  1669  and  1854 
the  town  had  had  four  factories,  all  chiefly  busied  in  supplying 
the  requirements  of  the  mustard  trade.  It  goes  without  saying 
that  other  articles  were  also  manufactured.  The  Nevers  style, 
introduced  by  one  Dupont,  a  Nivernais  potter,  in  1669,  is 
recognisable  on  the  few  painted  pieces  that  have  been 
authenticated.  Among  them  must  be  mentioned  a  circular 
travelling  bottle  bearing  the  image  of  Saint-Benigne,  the  patron 
saint  of  Dijon,  and  the  remaining  specimens  of  a  dinner  service 
once  belonging  to  the  college  "  Des  Godrans." 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

Marchant    (L.). — Eecherches   sur  les    faienceries    de    Dijon.     Dijon, 
1885.     4to. 

MEILLONAS. 

Very  little  of  the  modest  faience  made  at  Meillonas  has  drifted 
into  the  collections,  and  the  few  specimens  which  have  thus 
escaped  destruction  do  not  strike  one  as  being  particularly 
attractive.  Nevertheless  its  history  is  well  worth  telling ;  it 
affords  a  curious  picture  of  the  conditions  under  which  ceramic 
industry  was  sometimes  carried  on  during  the  eighteenth 
century. 

At  Meillonas,  a  hamlet  situated  in  the  vicinity  of  Bourg 
(Ain),  the  making  of  coarse  pottery  had  been  for  a  century  the 
staple  trade  of  the  inhabitants.  The  Lord  of  the  Manor,  Hugues 
de  Marron,  an  impecunious  gentleman  full  of  schemes  and 
projects,  conceived  the  idea  of  trying  the  manufacture  of  painted 
faience,  a  business  which  was  then  considered  as  a  sure  way 
to  fortune.  Several  ventures  in  which  he  had  embarked  pre- 
viously, such  as  the  opening  of  a  stone  quarry,  and  digging  for 
coals  on  his  estate,  had  resulted  in  complete  failure.     He  was 


PLATE    VII. 

NEVBRS. 

Plateau:    Enamelled  Decoration  on  Persian  Blue 
Ground. 

D.  17|  in. 

{See J).  53.) 


MEILLONAS.  57 

full  of  confidence  in  the  success  of  his  new  enterprise.  In  the 
year  1760  the  very  basements  of  his  castle  were  appropriated  as 
workshops ;  one  or  two  ovens  were  put  up  at  the  back  of  the 
building,  and  he  engaged  the  whole  staff  of  workmen  just 
dismissed  from  a  faience  factory  which  had  come  to  grief  in 
the  province  of  Nivernais.  The  Baron  was  to  be  his  own 
practical  manager,  and  the  Baroness,  his  wife,  took  the  artistic 
direction  under  her  care.  She  could  paint  with  taste  and  skill, 
and  several  pieces  decorated  by  her  own  hand  still  remain 
in  the  possession  of  the  family.  One  Pidoux,  who  has  signed 
some  of  his  work  with  his  name,  was  the  chief  artist. 

For  years  the  manufacture  went  on  quietly,  assisted  by  a 
small  subsidy  and  other  privileges  granted  by  the  Municipahty 
of  Bourg.  The  ware  was  first  made  in  imitation  of  Nevers  and 
Moustiers,  then  of  Marseilles.  In  1794,  Hugues  de  Marron  was 
arrested  as  a  suspected  aristocrat  by  order  of  the  Revolutionary 
tribunal,  sentenced  to  death,  and  executed  at  Lyons.  With  his 
death  the  Meillonas  factory  came  to  an  end. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

MiLLiET  (E.). — Notice  sur  les  faiences  artistiques  de  Meillonas.    Bourg, 
1877.     8vo. 

LA    FOREST. 

Modest  as  may  be  the  standing  of  the  factories  of  the  French 
Savoy,  they  supplied  with  painted  faience  a  large  region  where 
examples  of  a  more  costly  ware  seldom  penetrated,  and  the 
place  they  occupied  is  conspicuously  marked  upon  the  map  of 
ceramic  geography. 

Nothing  is  known  about  the  introduction  of  the  faience 
industry  in  the  Alpine  village  of  Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne,  but 
the  presence  in  collections  of  hunting  bottles  and  dishes, 
decorated  with  figures  and  subjects  in  the  Nevers  style,  and 
bearing,  together  with  that  name,  dates  ranging  from  1718  to 
1754,  leave  no  doubt  as  to  the  existence  of  a  permanent  factory 
there. 


58  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

We  know  more  of  the  circumstances  of  the  more  important 
works  of  La  Forest,  near  Chambery.  They  were  founded  in 
1730  by  Bouchard,  an  ironmonger  from  the  last  named  town, 
for  the  purpose  of  providing  the  gentlefolk  of  the  province  with 
attractive  dinner  services.  The  estabhshment  of  the  manufacture 
was  entrusted  to  two  clever  faienciers  from  Nevers,  A.  Mogery 
and  Mietaz,  who  brought  with  them  all  the  assistants  they 
required.  Such  conditions  determined  the  character  that  the 
ware  assumed  at  the  commencement.  If  any  speciality  is, 
however,  to  be  noticed  in  the  productions  of  La  Forest,  it  is  that 
the  painting  shows  more  careful  treatment  than  the  coarse  and 
broad  decoration  of  the  late  Nevers  ware.  A  close  examination 
of  the  authenticated  specimens  of  the  Savoy  faience  leaves  us 
under  the  impression  that  it  has  only  to  be  better  known 
to  be  appreciated  as  it  deserves. 

The  taste  for  pseudo-Chinese  patterns,  or  the  flowers,  garlands, 
and  landscapes  borrowed  from  Nevers,  did  not  last  long  The 
fashion  for  Rouen,  and  especially  for  Moustiers  designs,  soon 
asserted  its  sway  over  this  factory,  as  it  had  done  over  so  many 
others,  a  strong  partiality  being  evinced  for  the  gTotesque  figures 
of  J.  Callot,  and  other  ludicrous  caricatures.  Huge  earthenware 
stoves,  amusingly  decorated  in  that  manner,  found  a  ready  sale. 
A  remarkable  example  of  the  kind  is  preserved  in  the  museum 
at  Aix-les-Bains, 

After  a  short  period  of  prosperity  affairs  began  to  take  a 
bad  turn.  Promising  experiments  had  been  made  for  the 
manufacture  of  porcelain  and  earthenware.  But  all  the  improve- 
ments introduced  by  Bouchard  could  not  avert  the  final  collapse, 
which  occurred  at  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century.  The 
full  name  of  La  Forest  occurs  upon  some  of  the  choicest  pieces. 

BIBLIOGEAPHY. 

Bakbier  (V.).— Poterie  de  la  Savoie.     Chambery,  1875.     8vo. 
LociiE  (Cte.   de). — Notice  sur  la  fabrique  de  faience  de   la  Forest. 
Chambery,  1880.     8vo. 


PLATE    VIII. 

NEVERS. 

Ewer,  Painted  in   Blue   in  Dutch  Style. 

H.  1 7  in.      Diam.  of  base,  of  in. 


4 


NEVERS. 

Fig.  10.— ewer  :  Italian  style. 

H.  21  in. 


NEVERS. 

Fig.  11.— ewer:   peesiais^-blue    ground, 
decorated  in  white  enamel. 

H.  27  in. 


NEVERS. 

Fig.  12.— travelling  bottle  painted  in  blue. 

H.  14  in. 


V. 

KOUEN. 

SAINT-CLOUD — PARIS — SINCENY — LILLE — VALENCIENNES — 
SAINT-AMAND-LES-EAUX — SAINT-DENIS-SUE-SAR-TON. 


ROUEN. 

All  previous  attempts  to  acclimatise,  upon  French  soil,  the  manu- 
facture of  foreign  faience  with  stanniferous  enamel,  sinks  into  in- 
significance when  compared  with  what  was  readily  accomplished 
at  Rouen  when  times  were  at  last  ripe  for  the  introduction  of  a 
new  kind  of  pottery  of  a  truly  national  character,  which  should 
emulate,  in  shapes  and  designs,  the  elegance  and  novelty  dis- 
played in  the  productions  of  other  branches  of  decorative  art. 
Such  was  to  be  the  ware  which  alone  could  gratify  the  taste  of 
the  refined  Frenchman;  it  was  reserved  to  Edme  Poterat  to 
bring  this  desideratum  into  full  realisation. 

One  hundred  years  before  Poterat  commenced  to  manu- 
facture white  faience  on  a  thoroughly  practical  basis,  Masseot 
Abaquesne,  a  potter,  said  to  be  of  French  nationahty,  but  who 
had  certainly  learned  with  the  Italians  the  art  of  majolica 
painting,  was  established  as  a  tilemaker  in  a  suburb  of  Rouen. 
From  such  work  of  his  hand  as  has  been  preserved  to  us,  we 
may  judge  that  he  had  mastered  all  the  secrets  of  the  technical 
part  of  the  business  and  that  he  was,  besides,  a  designer  of  no 
mean  ability.  The  painted  tile  pavements  he  executed  between 
1542  and  1557  for  the  Castles  of  Ecouen,  La  Bastie,  and  other 
places,  would  have  done  credit  to  the  best  majolists  of  Faenza  or 
Urbino. 

But  if  Masseot  Abaquesne  and  his  tile  pavements  must  have 
their  place  in  the  general  history  of  ceramic  art,  they  can 
scarcely  be  spoken  of  in  connection  with  the  progress  of  French 
pottery  ;  at  any  rate,  his  isolated  achievements  had  no  influence 


G2  FRENCH   FAIENCE; 

on  its  rise  and  development.  He  followed  entirely  an  Italian 
tradition  already  obsolete,  and  this,  the  fag  end  of  an  art  in  rapid 
decline,  could  not  be  accepted  in  France  as  containing  the  germ 
of  a  youthful  and  promising  handicraft.  He  worked  as  a  potter, 
ignored  by  the  rest  of  the  trade,  and  soon  after  his  death  his 
very  name  was  forgotten  by  all. 

A  rare  travelling-bottle,  in  the  Sevres  Museum,  bearing  the 
arms  of  an  abbot  of  Lisieux  who  lived  in  1540,  and  a  painted 
decoration  of  the  same  character  as  that  of  the  tile  pavements, 
may  be  attributed  to  Rouen.  It  tends  to  show  that  ornamental 
ware  was  also  made  at  this  early  period. 

Similar  ventures  had  been  tried  at  several  points  in  France, 
all  to  end  without  leaving  any  appreciable  result.  At  Nevers 
only,  the  making  of  a  debased  kind  of  majolica  had  subsisted 
for  a  longer  time,  omng  to  the  liberal  support  of  a  princely 
patron. 

A  truly  French  faience  may  be  said  to  have  originated  at 
Rouen  in  1644,  the  year  in  which  Nicholas  Poirel  applied  for  the 
grant  of  royal  letters  patent,  that  would  secure  to  him  the  sole 
rights  of  making  white  and  painted  v/are  in  the  province  of 
Normandy.  The  short-lived  factory  of  Abaquesne  had  left  no 
traces,  and  the  licence  was  granted  on  the  ground  that  faience 
had  never  before  been  made  in  the  town. 

When  Nicholas  Poirel,  Sieur  de  Grandval,  a  man  of  influence 
at  Court,  where  he  fiUed  the  office  of  usher  to  the  Queen's  room, 
petitioned  for  this  royal  privilege,  he  was  probably  acting  on 
behalf  of  a  partner,  Edme  Poterat,  Sieur  de  St.  Etienne,  who  is 
said  to  have  had  some  previous  knowledge  of  pottery  manu- 
facture. The  name  of  Poirel  is  never  mentioned  in  any  of  the 
documents  which  refer  to  the  carrying  on  of  the  trade,  while  in 
the  final  deed  of  lease  of  the  building  and  grounds  on  which 
the  factory  had  been  established,  we  find  that  in  1647  Edme 
Poterat  had  already  been  for  two  years  making  faience  on  the 
premises,  and  he  alone  appears  in  this  and  other  deeds 
as  "  the  manufacturer." 


PLATE   IX. 
ROUEN. 

Armorial   Plateau. 

D.  221  in. 

{See  p.  68.) 


ROUEN, 

Fig  14.— travelling  bottle  :  Italian  style. 
1540  1  on  the  reverse  side  the 
arms  of  an  abbot  of  lisieux. 

H   14  in.     {See  p.  62.) 


ROUEN.  63 

We  have  seen  that  the  technical  processes  of  faience-making 
were  still  practised  at  Nevers.  We  may  fairty  assume  that 
E.  Poterat  obtained  from  that  centre  the  ready  means  of  starting 
operations,  with  the  assistance  of  a  group  of  fully  experienced 
workmen.  In  the  ceramic  museum  of  Rouen  are  two  of  the 
earliest  pieces,  both  inscribed  and  dated  "  Fait  k  Rouen,  1647," 
which  are  manifestly  painted  in  the  Nevers  style.  The  name  of 
one  of  the  Custodes,  a  family  of  Nevers  faienciers,  figures  on 
the  hst  of  the  men  at  work  in  Poterat's  factory. 

Such  remnants  of  the  Italian  and  Dutch  taste  imported  by 
the  foreigners  were  to  disappear  as  soon  as  the  decoration  of 
the  ware  was  entirely  entrusted  to  French  operatives.  These 
latter — who  lacked  the  special  training  that  their  predecessors 
had  received  in  the  Faenza  and  Delft  workshops — were  unequal 
to  the  task  of  painting  either  mythological  figures  and  battle- 
scenes,  or  creditable  imitations  of  Oriental  porcelain.  The  few 
pieces  of  that  description,  which  may  be  attributed  to  the  trial 
period,  show  how  wise  it  was  on  the  part  of  the  manu- 
facturer to  replace  an  uncongenial  style  by  one  better  suited  to 
the  capabilities  of  his  men.  A  completely  new  method  of 
decoration  was  adopted,  which  did  not  require  much  artistic 
ability  in  the  execution  of  the  work.  It  consisted  in  the  appH- 
cation  to  faience  painting  of  the  purely  ornamental  motives 
which  embellished  the  printed  books,  the  delicate  lace,  the  silk 
embroideries,  and  the  inlaid  wood  of  contemporary  skilful 
craftsmen.  So  simple  were  the  details  entering  into  the  most 
complicated  scheme  of  ornamentation,  that  when  a  talented 
designer  had  given  his  suggestion  for  the  general  arrangement, 
anyone  ever  so  little  acquainted  with  the  handling  of  a  paint- 
brush could  fill  in  the  outlines  he  had  previously  traced  upon 
the  piece  to  be  decorated. 

From  a  symmetrical  and  well-balanced  repetition  of  the  same 
unpretentious  arabesques,  a  highly  decorative  effect  was 
obtained.  We  find  the  finest  examples  of  this  style  in  the  large 
platters  on  which  a  tasteful  disposition  of  delicate  ornaments 


64  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

radiate  from  the  centre,  like  the  spokes  of  a  wheel,  or  descend 
from  the  border  in  alternate  compartments. 

These  huge  platters  were  not,  by-the-bye,  a  mere  ornament 
for  the  dresser ;  they  were  an  indispensable  item  for  the  service 
of  the  table.  As  the  custom  of  the  day  required  that  at 
a  banquet  all  the  viands  should  appear  on  the  board,  such 
dishes  are  mentioned  in  the  price  lists  of  the  manufacturers 
as  calculated  to  hold  from  twelve  to  fifteen  chickens,  or  twenty 
partridges ;  this  number  of  fowls  having  to  be  served  on  festive 
occasions. 

As  early  as  1663  the  results  accomplished  by  Poterat  had 
attracted  the  attention  of  Colbert.  In  the  MS.  memoir  on  the 
conditions  of  the  industries  of  the  realm,  which  the  great 
statesman  caused  to  be  indited  in  that  year,  appear  the 
following  observations  :  "  To  encourage  and  reward  the  faienciers 
of  Eouen  and  the  neighbourhood,  and  to  stimulate  competition 
among  them.  To  supply  them  with  good  designs,  and  to  make 
them  work  for  the  King."  This  first  instance  of  official  sohci- 
tude  proved  a  great  incentive  to  the  development  of  the 
faience  industry  at  Rouen;  it  was  to  lead,  a  few  years  later, 
to  the  King  himself  extending  a  direct  patronage  to  the  potters. 

We  notice  that  in  Colbert's  Memoir  reference  is  made  to 
"  several "  manufacturers  competing  against  each  other.  The 
patent  obtained  by  Poirel  de  Grandval  had  soon  become  a 
dead  letter.  Taking  advantage  of  some  flaws  in  the 
specification,  enterprising  rivals  had  set  up  their  faience 
factories  in  opposition  to  that  of  Poterat.  The  first  was 
one  Bouttin,  who  described  himself  as  a  painter  and 
sculptor  in  faience.  In  vain  Poterat  put  the  law  in  motion 
for  the  defence  of  his  rights;  injunction  after  injunction  was 
served  on  the  trespasser,  but  they  could  not  be  enforced,  and 
Bouttin  was  left  to  continue  his  work  unhindered.  His 
example  was  soon  afterwards  followed  by  five  more  potters,  all 
established  in  the  suburb  of  Saint-Sever,  and  imitating  as  nearly 
as  they  could  the  successful  ware  of  the  original  manufacture. 


ROUEN. 

Fig.  15. — DRINKING  BOTTLE  :  DECORATION  IN 
BLUE  AND  RED.  DUTCH  STYLE. 
EARLY   PERIOD. 

H.  16in.     (Seep.  67.) 


ROUEN.  65 

Edme  Poterat's  eldest  son  was,  from  his  early  days,  asso- 
ciated with  his  father's  labours.  A  man  of  exceptional  abilities, 
Louis  Poterat  took  a  large  share  in  the  development  of  the 
enterprise ;  most  of  the  improvements  introduced  in  the  con- 
duct of  the  manufacture  may  be  placed  to  his  credit.  He  never 
had,  however,  a  partner's  share  in  the  business.  On  his  marriage 
with  Madeleine  de  Laval  in  1668 — he  was  then  twenty-seven  years 
of  age — he  is  described  in  the  deed  of  settlement  as  being 
in  the  employ  of  his  father,  at  a  yearly  salary  of  one  thousand 
livi-es.  Like  many  of  the  best  potters  of  the  time,  he 
nourished  the  ambition  of  discovering  the  secret  of  translucent 
porcelain.  More  fortunate  than  any  of  them,  he  accomplished 
the  discovery  with  complete  success.  The  specimens  of  Poterat's 
porcelain  so  far  identified  so  closely  apj)roach  to  excellence 
that,  were  it  not  that  fragments  and  wasters  of  the  same  order 
have  been  unearthed  from  the  site  of  the  old  factory — a  discovery 
which  settles  the  point  of  authenticity  beyond  doubt — one 
might  refuse  to  believe  that  they  were  the  fruits  of  the  first 
experiments  of  a  faience  maker.  In  the  town  of  Eouen, 
private  collectors  have  brought  together  a  sufficient  number 
of  genuine  examples  to  make  it  evident  that  the  translucent 
ware  invented  by  Poterat  was  more  than  a  promise,  or  an 
imperfect  production  still  in  need  of  improvement.  Far  from 
it,  for  its  bod}^  and  glaze  are  of  an  unmistakable  nature ; 
he  had  actually  determined  the  composition  of  the  true  soft 
porcelain  of  France,  the  same  which  in  the  hands  of  other 
manufacturers  was  to  excite,  shortly  afterwards,  the  admiration 
of  all  Europe.  Poterat  did  not  derive  much  honour  or  profit 
from  his  invention;  he  finally  abandoned  any  further  experi- 
ments in  that  direction ;  the  making  of  painted  faience  having 
proved  far  more  convenient  and  remunerative. 

But  the  Rouen  porcelain  did  not  die  without  leaving  issue. 

It  had,  indeed,  a  long  lineal  descent.     The  firstborn   was   the 

Saint-Cloud   soft   china,   regularly   manufactured   in   1698,   by 

the  brothers  Chicanneau.     I  am  not  prepared  to  produce  any 

F 


66  FRENCH    FAIENCE. 

authorities  that  would  definitely  establish  the  parentage ; 
but  the  specimens  of  both  places  present  technical  and 
decorative  features  so  perfectly  identical,  that  little  more  is 
required  to  render  the  filiation  clearly  apparent,  nay,  almost 
undeniable.  A  fact,  the  probable  connection  of  which  with  the 
subject  has  not  yet  been  properly  investigated,  is,  that  in 
the  list  of  Rouen  faience  painters  given  by  A.  Pettier  figures 
the  name  of  one  Chicanneau.  One  might  fahly  assume  that 
the  man  either  purchased,  or  appropriated  by  other  means, 
the  secret  processes  of  Poterat,  and  turned  them  to  good  account 
in  the  factory  he  established  at  Saint-Cloud.  It  was  long 
admitted  that  that  place  was  the  starting  point  from  which 
the  manufacture  of  soft  china  originated  in  France,  If 
we  consider  the  prior  claim  that  can  now  be  maintained  in 
favour  of  Rouen,  we  may  fully  realise  the  important  position 
that  Poterat's  discovery  should  occupy  in  the  history  of 
the  ceramic  art. 

Up  to  the  year  1673  Louis  Poterat  lived  and  worked 
at  his  father's  factory.  The  experiments  he  was  making 
towards  the  discovery  of  a  translucent  ware  seem,  however, 
to  have  been  conducted  independently  of  his  management 
of  this  work,  and  for  his  private  benefit.  In  their  successful 
results  he  found  the  means  of  getting  free  from  parental 
bondage,  and  starting  in  business  on  his  own  account. 

His  invention  of  a  porcelain  ware  that  had  never  been  made 
before  served  him  as  a  pretext  to  apply  for  a  licence  to  make 
painted  faience  in  conjunction  with  it.  To  guard  against  the 
eventualities  of  a  venturesome  undertaking,  he  argued  that  his 
porcelain  could  only  be  safely  fired  in  the  central  part  of  an 
oven  filled  with  ordinary  faience  ware.  On  this  representation 
he  obtained  in  1673,  and  for  a  period  of  thirty  years,  a  royal 
privilege,  not  only  for  the  sole  making  of  porcelain,  but  also 
for  the  manufacture  of  "Violette"  faience,  painted  in  blue 
and  other  colours,  after  the  manner  used  in  Holland.  The 
previous  rights  vested  in  Poirel  de  Grandval  were  overlooked 


PLATE    X. 
ROUEN. 

Bust  of  Apollo  and  Stand* 

(By  Nicholas  Fouquay.) 

H.  of  Bust,  2  ft.  9  in.      W.  of  Bust,  1  ft.  11  in. 
H.  of  Pedestal,  4  ft.  7  in. 

{Se*  p.  69.) 


ROUEN, 

Fig.  16.— fountain  with   polychrome 

DECORATION  :  ARMS  OF  HENRI 
DE  MONTMOKENCV,  DUKE  OF 
LUXEMBOURG. 

H.  44  in.     [iiee  p.  58.) 


ROUEN.  67 

on  account  of  the  benefit  that  would  accrue  to  the  town  from 
the  introduction  of  a  new  industry. 

Examples  of  the  so-called  "  Hollandish  "  style  are  rather  un- 
common. Moreover,  every  Rouen  piece  which  affects  a  distant 
imitation  of  the  pseudo-Chinese  subjects  of  the  Dutch  ware 
is  in  most  cases  completed  with  festoons  and  garlands  in  the 
French  .taste.  The  original  "  lambrequins "  and  embroidery 
patterns,  on  the  scalloped  compartments  of  which  delicate  white 
traceries  are  reserved  on  a  pure  blue  ground,  were  the  favourite 
productions  of  the  Poterats,  father  and  son.  Of  this  we  require 
no  better  proof  than  the  fact  that  the  porcelain  of  Louis  Poterat 
is  decorated  in  that  style. 

In  the  same  year  that  Louis  Poterat  separated  from  his  father, 
the  latter  became  sole  proprietor  of  the  concern,  Poirel  de 
Grandval,  who  had  up  to  that  time  kept  an  interest  in  it  as 
a  "  sleeping "  partner,  having  transferred  to  him  all  his  rights 
during  the  unexpired  run  of  the  patent.  Edme  Poterat,  Sieur 
de  Saint-Etienne  and  Seigneur  d'Emendreville,  died  in  1687  at 
the  age  of  seventy-five  years ;  his  heirs  and  successors  were  his 
widow  and  his  second  son,  Michel.  Louis  Poterat  survived  his 
father  until  1696.  When  the  term  of  the  original  privilege 
came  to  an  end,  in  1696,  four  faience  works  were  started  at 
Rouen  in  the  same  year. 

The  faience  industry  was  soon  to  enter  into  its  most  brilliant 
and  prosperous  period ;  the  number  of  factories  increased  to 
six,  independently  of  the  two  establishments  still  in  the  hands 
of  the  Poterat  family;  they  gave  employment  to  over  two 
thousand  hands.  Its  development  was  singularly  fostered  by 
circumstances.  The  sudden  infatuation  for  services  of  Rouen 
faience  which  seized  the  French  aristocracy  gave  to  the  manu- 
facture an  unexpected  impetus.  In  the  year  1709  the  Govern- 
ment of  Louis  XIV,  had  come  to  the  end  of  its  financial 
resources.  No  more  money  could  be  extracted  from  the 
over-burdened  taxpayers,  and  money  was  urgently  required 
to  meet  the  cost  of  an  endless  war,  and  to  relieve  the  crying 


GH  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

misory  of  soiuo  provinces  ruinod  by  famine  and  inundation. 
At  this  juncture  the  King  decided  to  send  his  ^old  and 
silver  plate,  including  the  throne  in  massive  silver,  to  the 
mint  to  be  converted  into  coin,  and  he  expressed  the  wish 
that  all  patriotic  noblemen  should  follow  his  example.  A 
wish  of  the  monarch  was  as  good  as  an  order ;  no  courtier 
dared  to  demur  in  complying  with  the  suggestion,  and  loads  of 
precious  silver  plate  consequently  found  their  way  to  the 
melting  pots. 

Meantime  a  substitute  had  to  be  procured  to  take,  upon  the 
dresser  and  the  table,  the  place  of  the  departed  dishes  and  vessels. 
It  was  found  in  the  sets  of  painted  faience,  patronised  up  to  that 
time  by  the  middle  classes.  All  that  the  crockery  shops  of  town 
or  country  contained  in  the  way  of  sets  of  that  description 
was  pounced  upon  by  rank  and  fashion.  Frantic  purchasers 
"  set  the  ware  on  fire,"  as  Saint  Simon  has  it  in  his  "  Memoires," 
and  in  a  week's  time  not  a  single  service  of  painted  faience  could 
be  obtained  m  the  trade.  Nothing  was  left  to  the  late-comers 
but  to  send  their  orders  to  Rouen  and  wait  till  they  had  been 
executed.  The  manufacturers  were  overloaded  with  commis- 
sions; no  incentive  could  have  been  more  powerful  to  make 
them  try  to  deserve  praises,  reward,  and  further  patronage 
from  so  many  unexpected  customers.  A  ware  of  a  very  superior 
order  could  henceforth  be  painted  regardless  of  cost.  A 
dinner-set  which  was  to  bear  the  illustrious  coat  of  arms  of  a 
noble  duke,  and  grace  the  banqueting-hall  of  a  palace,  could 
never  be  too  expensively  and  handsomely  decorated.  Urged  hj 
such  inspiriting  circumstances,  potters  and  painters  surpassed 
themselves,  and  from  that  moment  the  original  style  of  the 
Eouen  faience  assumed  its  most  typical  expression.  Elegant 
and  effective  as  they  always  are,  the  essential  characteristic 
of  the  most  elaborate  pieces  is  that  they  do  not  set  up  any 
pretensions  to  being  anything  but  objects  of  domestic  use.  All 
the  examples  of  the  ware,  enlivened  with  the  intricate  traceries 
of  the  embroidery  patterns,  whether  they  be  the  huge  platter 


ROUEN.  69 

or  tlie  diminutive  ewer,  certainly  look  tlieir  best  when  dis- 
played upon  the  dining  table.  Indeed,  nothing  more  appro- 
priate to  the  purpose,  and  superior  in  decorative  effect,  can 
be  said  to  exist  among  the  productions  of  the  ceramic  art 
that  pretend  to  be  at  once  useful  and  ornamental. 

A  decided  preponderance  of  household  requisites  did  not,  how- 
ever, exclude  variety  in  the  aggregate  of  manufactured  pieces. 
As  early  as  1725,  two  lesiding  fa'ienciers  had  distinguished  them- 
selves by  bringing  out  a  series  of  decorative  objects  much  above 
the  common  run  of  commercial  productions.  For  instance,  the 
celestial  and  terrestrial  globes  made  by  Madame  Lecoq  de 
Villeray  were  very  superior  in  size  and  costliness  of  treat- 
ment to  anything  that  had  been  attempted  before.  These 
ceramic  edicules,  which  stand  over  four  feet  in  height,  are 
composed  of  globes  seventeen  inches  in  diameter,  supported 
either  by  a  figure  of  Atlas  or  by  a  rectangular  pedestal  resting 
on  four  Hons  ;  the  whole  being  covered  by  a  polychromatic 
decoration.  A  pair  of  these  globes,  in  the  Rouen  Museum,  are 
painted  with  allegorical  figures,  and  bear  the  inscription : 
"  Peint  par  Pierre  Chapelle,  a  Eouen,  1725." 

Of  still  more  artistic  pretensions  are  the  five  life-size  busts 
of  Apollo,  and  the  Four  Seasons,  becomingly  completed  by  an 
architectonic  stand,  also  richly  painted  in  colours,  and  made  at 
about  the  same  period  by  Nicholas  Fouquay.  These  busts  once 
adorned  the  Hamilton  Palace.  One  of  them  was  given  by  the 
Duke  to  the  South  Kensington  Museum,  the  four  others  were 
purchased  for  the  Louvre.  It  may  be  stated  here  that  Madame  de 
Villeray  and  N.  Fouquay,  the  makers  of  these  exceptional  pieces, 
owned  the  two  factories  founded  by  the  Poterats ;  the  finest  faience 
ever  made  at  Rouen  is  said  to  have  come  from  their  works. 

Among  the  articles  of  purely  ornamental  character  manu- 
factured at  the  time  must  be  mentioned  the  garden  vases  of 
large  dimensions,  the  mantelpieces  and  stoves,  the  tile  panels 
with  figure  subjects,  the  columns  and  brackets,  and  other 
picturesque  accessories  of  architectural  decoration. 


70  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

Four  distinctive  styles  of  surface  ornamentation  distinguish 
the  corresponding  periods  of  the  Rouen  manufacture.  Setting 
aside  the  works  in  the  ItaHan  and  Dutch  taste — attributable 
to  the  Nevers  workmen,  and  of  more  historic  than  artistic 
interest — we  shall  place  on  the  first  line  those  particular 
"  Lambrequins "  and  "  Embroidery "  patterns  which  the 
Norman  potter  may  so  justly  claim  as  his  own.  If  the 
supremacy  of  Rouen  faience  over  all  other  kinds  of  French  ware 
stands  incontestable,  it  is  due  chiefly  to  the  adoption  of  these 
matchless  patterns,  and  to  the  pleasant  effect  obtained  by  the 
symmetrical  disposition  of  elegant  arabesques,  either  reserved  in 
white  on  a  blue  field,  or  traced  in  blue  upon  a  white  ground.  One 
of  the  most  happy  applications  of  the  same  principles  is  seen  in 
the  pieces  on  which  the  arabesques  are  painted  in  dark  blue 
upon  a  bright  yellow  ground.  Of  this  kind  very  few  examples 
remain ;  all  of  them  are  of  superior  treatment,  and  the 
collector  of  Rouen  ware  values  them  above  everything.  We 
have  ah'eady  seen  that  the  earliest  display  of  the  "  radiating " 
and  "  embroidery  "  patterns  is  due  to  the  Poterats,  father  and 
son.  Their  successors  introduced  many  novelties,  but  they  did 
not  discard  the  original  style  for  many  years  afterwards. 

These  staple  patterns,  produced  at  first  in  cobalt  blue, 
received  a  notable  modification  from  the  discovery  and  the 
liberal  use  of  a  bright  and  opaque  red,  unknown  to  the  Nevers, 
and,  indeed,  at  that  time,  to  all  other  French  potters.  How 
it  happened  that  this  scarce  material,  a  natural  red  earth  which 
can  stand  the  highest  degree  of  firing  without  losing  anything 
of  its  brilliance,  was  brought  over  to  Rouen,  has  never  trans- 
pired. The  mineral  is  only  obtainable  from  the  small  town  of 
Thiviers  in  Perigord ;  for  a  long  time  this  has  been  one  of  the 
most  jealously  guarded  secrets  of  the  trade.  A  presentation 
bowl  in  the  town  museum,  inscribed  "  Brument,  1699,"  is  the 
earliest  piece  on  which  we  see  the  opaque  red  appear  in 
connection  with  a  date.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  use  of 
that  colour  may  be  anterior  by  a  few  years. 


PLATE    XI. 
ROUEN. 

Vase   and  Cover:  '* Lambrequins **  Decoration, 

H.  13  in.     D.  of  base,  6  in. 

[See  p.  70.) 


^^V-iLrx-t^i^l?^^' 


ROUEN. 

Fig.  18.— fountain  :  polychrome  decoration. 

H.  38  in. 


ROUEN.  71 

The  remarkable  bowl,  figured  in  A.  Pottier's  work  on  plate 
VII.,  affords  a  good  example  of  the  polychrome  and  so-called 
Oriental  style  adopted  in  the  second  period.  It  has  a  would-be 
Chinese  figure  painted  in  the  centre,  but  the  surrounding, 
decoration  is  in  the  regular  taste  of  the  "  radiating  Lambrequins." 
All  the  specimens  included  in  the  same  group  are  but  repro- 
ductions of  the  Chinese  and  Japanese  fantasies  freely  indulged 
in  by  the  French  decorative  artists  of  the  day,  seldom,  if  ever, 
actual  copies  of  Oriental  porcelain.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
deceitful  imitations  of  the  ware,  such  as  were  produced  in 
Holland,  were  never  attempted  at  Rouen.  The  speciality  of 
the  pseudo-Chinese  subjects  is  attributed  to  Guillibaud,  who 
worked  in  1720.  He  went  so  far  as  to  reproduce,  accurately 
enough,  the  trellised  borders  of  the  foreign  models,  but  his 
figures  and  flowers  obviously  betray  their  local  origin.  A  few 
pieces,  grounded  all  over  with  dark  blue,  and  enamelled  with 
conventional  flowers  in  opaque  white,  may  be  classed  with  the 
same  group. 

A  "  Rocaille  style "  was  in  full  bloom  towards  1750 ;  it 
constitutes  the  third  period.  Although  closely  linked  with  the 
"Oriental"  patterns  by.  their  artistic  treatment,  the  Rocaille 
subjects  evince,  nevertheless,  a  manifest  originality.  The 
designs  are  thoroughly  French  in  character;  the  decorative 
panels  of  Watteau  and  Boucher,  and  the  etchings  of  Pillement 
having  supplied  the  materials  of  these  picturesque  arrangements 
of  trophies,  scrolls,  and  garlands.  In  addition  to  the  presence  of 
brilliant  blues,  greens,  and  yellows,  the  opaque  red,  applied  in 
thin  lines  or  minute  dots,  plays  a  conspicuous  part  in  the  general 
scheme  of  colour.  We  shall  mention  as  tj^pical  representatives 
of  the  taste  in  vogue  at  that  moment  the  "  Cornucopia "  and 
"  Quiver  "  patterns,  which  proved  such  favourites  in  the  trade 
that  they  were  persisted  in  long  after  all  other  contemporary 
designs  had  ceased  to  be  produced. 

The  last  artistic  effort  of  the  Rouen  potters  seems  to  have 
taken   the   form   of  rather   weak  imitations   of  the  Strasburg 


72  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

faience,  with  its  deeply  gadrooned  shapes  and  its  over-glaze 
decoration  of  realistic  flowers  painted  in  transparent  enamels, 
after  the  style  which  had  originated  at  Dresden.  It  was  faience 
masquerading  as  porcelain.  But  this  meretricious  disguise 
could  not  win  back  for  it  a  popular  support  gone  for  ever.  The 
best  examples  of  this  order  date  from  1775  ;  after  which  painted 
faience  went  rapidly  into  decline.  In  1786  twelve  hundred 
workmen  were  still  at  work  in  the  factories ;  the  few  factories 
which  were  still  in  existence  ten  years  after  could  scarcely  give 
occupation  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  hands.  The  course  of 
ruinous  underselling  resorted  to  by  the  manufacturers  at  bay,  and 
the  consequent  degradation  of  the  production — rather  than  the 
much  complained  of  importations  of  English  earthenware — had 
brought  the  industry  to  its  doom.  According  to  the  statistics 
of  1806  only  thirty  men  were  then  making  white  and  brown 
pottery  of  the  commonest  description  in  the  town  of  Rouen. 
Limoges  was  sending  there  its  refined  porcelain,  and  the  North 
of  France  a  much  appreciated  "  terre  de  pipe  " ;  no  one  at  the 
time  seems  to  have  regretted  the  complete  disappearance  of 
the  old-fashioned  faience  with  the  stanniferous  enamel. 

No  regular  mark  was  ever  adopted  by  the  Eouen  factories 
but  a  genuine  example  of  the  best  period  could  scarcely  be 
passed  by  unrecognised,  so  superior  is  it  in  design  and  treatment 
to  the  imitations  made  in  other  places.  A  little  experience  and 
good  judgment  are  the  best  guides  to  the  identification  of  the 
ware.  Upon  pieces  of  incontestable  origin  we  find  a  multitude 
of  initials,  monograms,  distinctive  signs  and  numerical  figures, 
most  of  them  of  unique  occurrence,  and  seldom  attributable  to 
any  particular  artist  or  potter.  I  shall  only  give  a  selection  of 
these  occasional  signs,  and  will  recommend  to  any  collector  in  want 
of  further  information  on  that  point  a  reference  to  the  list  given 
by  A.  Pettier.  Over  120  different  marks  are  reproduced  in 
that  list ;  I  must  add  that  this  number  has  been  considerably 
increased  since  the  pubHcation  of  his  work. 

A  thorough  knowledge  of  the  Rouen  ceramic  art  in  all  its 


ROUEN. 

Fig.  19. — helmet-shaped    E\yEii  :     "  lambre- 
quins" DECORATION  IN  POLYCHROME. 
H.  10  in. 


I 


ROUEN.  73 

forms  can  be  gathered  from  a  studious  examination  of  the  town 
museum.  The  best  period  is  represented  in  it  by  the  choicest 
masterpieces  of  the  leading  potters,  and  the  current  manu- 
facture of  later  times  by  an  exhaustive  selection  of  the  most 
popular  types.  So  rich,  indeed,  so  varied,  so  complete  is  the 
collection,  that  a  visit  to  it  will  gratify  the  most  sanguine 
expectations  of  the  connoisseur. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

Anon. — Coup     d'oeil   sur   I'iiidustrie   du   potier   de    terre    a    Rouen. 

Rouen,  1838.     8vo. 
PoTTiER  (A.). — La  premiere   porcelaine   fabriquee   en   Europe   a    et6 

inventee  a  Rouen.     Rouen,  1847.     8vo. 
Delisle   (L.). — Documents   sur  les   fabriques    de   faience  de   Rouen. 

Valognes,  1865.      8vo. 
RoBiLLARD  DE  Beaurepaire  (E.). — Les  faiences  de  Rouen  et  deNevers 

a  I'Exposition  XJniverselle.      Caen,  1867.      8vo. 
MiLET  (A.). — Priorite  de  I'invention  de  la  porcelaine  a  Rouen.    Rouen, 

1867.     12mo. 
Bordeaux  (R.). — Les  brocs  a  cidre  en  faience  de  Rouen.     Caen,  1870. 

4to. 
Pottier  (A.). — Histoire  de  la  faience  de  Rouen.     Rouen,  1870.     4to. 
Ris-Paquot. — Histoire  de  la  faience  de  Rouen.     Amiens,  1870.     4to. 
LiRUE    (A.    de). — Histoires   locales.     Anciennes   poteries    de   Rouen. 

Rouen,  1873.     8vo. 
Lerue    (A.  de). — La   collection  de    M.    Gustave-Gouellain — M.  Paul 

Baudry.— M.  d'lquelon.     Rouen,  1877-78.      16mo. 
GouELLAiN  (G.). — La  ceramique  musicale.     Paris,  1878.     16mo. 
Adeline  (J.). — Le  musee  de  Rouen,  1882.     4to. 

Le  Breton  (G.). — Le  musee  cei-amique  de  Rouen.  Rouen  1883.  8vo. 
Canonville-Deslys. — Les    merveilles    de    la    ceramique     rouennaise. 

Rouen,  1891.     8vo. 
Brebisson  (R.  de). — La  poi'celaine  tendre  de  Rouen.  Evreux,  1895.  8vo. 
Milet  (A.). — Historique  de  la  faience  et  de  la  porcelaine  de  Rouen. 

Rouen,  1898.     8vo. 

SAINT-CLOUD. 

The  vigorous  growth   of  the  Rouen  manufacture  cast  off 
many   a  fresh   shoot   to   thrive   on   distant   soil.     Saint-Cloud 


74  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

is  the  earliest  factory  on  record  which  owes  its  origin  and 
prosperity  to  a  flagrant  appropriation  by  a  servant  of  the 
Poterats  of  the  style  and  processes  originated  by  his  masters. 

Chicanneau,  a  Kouen  faience  painter,  having  obtained 
sufficient  experience  to  qualify  as  a  manufacturer,  established 
himself  as  such  at  Saint-Cloud,  in  close  proximity  to  Paris. 
His  factory  was  in  full  working  order  as  early  as  1670,  for  at 
that  date  he  was  supplying  large  vases  for  the  embellishment 
of  the  Trianon  of  Porcelain.  He  seems  to  have  been  especially 
favoured  with  orders  for  dinner  services  and  other  articles  intended 
for  the  Royal  castles,  or  for  national  establishments.  Specimens 
of  these  services  painted  with  the  initial  letter  of  the  name  of  the 
castle  surmounted  by  the  Royal  crown,  are  to  be  seen  in  cera- 
mic collections.  The  hospital  of  Versailles  still  possesses  the 
complete  set  of  drug  pots  made  by  Chicanneau  or  by  his  successors. 

The  Saint-Cloud  faience  was,  at  the  first  period,  decorated 
with  the  "  Lambrequins  "  and  "  lace  "  patterns  imported  from 
Rouen ;  the  treatment  of  the  blue  design  shows  sometimes  the 
peculiarity  of  being  outlined  in  black.  At  a  later  time, 
wreaths  and  s|)rays  of  conventional  flowers,  painted  in  a  slate- 
coloured  blue,  replaced  the  original  patterns.  It  is  not 
necessary  to  recall  here  what  fame  and  profit  Chicanneau 
derived  from  the  making  of  a  fine  porcelain  which  he  had 
certainly  not  invented. 

The  only  marks  noticed  on  the  faience  as  well  as  on  the 
porcelain  of  that  origin  are,  either  the  Sun,  in  honour  of  Louis 
XIV.,  or  the  letters  S.C.T.,  standing  for  Saint-Cloud,  Trou.  As 
Trou  became  proprietor  of  the  works  after  the  death  of 
Chicanneau,  whose  widow  he  married,  such  marks  must  be 
referred  to  the  last  period  of  manufacture. 

PARIS. 

Paris,  the  cradle  of  sciences  and  arts,  has  always  remained 
indifferent  to  the  improvement  of  painted  faience.  It  is  true 
that  a  crowded  capital,  in  which  space  is  necessaril}^  limited, 


PLATE    XI  I. 
ROUEN. 

Plateau:   Blue  Arabesques   on   Yellow  Ground* 

D  221  in. 

{See  p.  70.) 


:nacv  itt" 


o    ■^ 


PARIS,  75 

and  where  wages  are  comparatively  high,  is  not  the  place 
to  be  selected  for  the  estabhshment  of  important  pottery 
works.  Moreover,  a  municipal  edict  of  1723  had  foreseen 
the  possible  eventuality,  and  forbidden  the  carrying  on  of 
all  kindred  industries  within  the  area  of  the  city.  Ac- 
cordingly, the  manufacture  of  porcelain  had  to  be  prosecuted 
at  Vincennes  and  Sevres ;  that  of  faience  at  Saint-Cloud  and 
Sceaux.  Little  attention  has  been  given  to  the  names  of 
"faienciers"  having  shops  in  Paris,  who  advertised  in  the 
almanacs  and  address-books  of  the  times,  on  the  under- 
standing that  they  refer  to  merchants  and  retailers  rather  than 
to  actual  manufacturers.  The  most  enterprising  among  these 
dealers  might,  at  the  utmost,  have  erected  a  small  kiln  on  the 
premises  and  employed  one  or  two  painters  who  could  provide 
certain  pieces  with  such  particular  emblems,  inscriptions,  and 
names  as  were  required  by  the  customer.  In  this  way  they 
could  keep  up  the  fallacy  that  they  were  selling  none  but 
articles  of  their  own  making.  Be  it  as  it  may,  the  conditions 
under  which  the  faience  trade  was  conducted  in  Paris  at  an 
early  period  have  been  regrettably  neglected  by  the  historian. 
The  attempt  made  by  a  well-known  writer  to  attribute  to 
Claude  Reverend  the  introduction  of  the  manufacture  has 
proved  to  be  an  unfortunate  mistake.  In  the  application 
presented  by  C.  Reverend,  of  Paris,  in  1664,  for  obtaining  a 
royal  privilege  for  the  sole  right  of  selling  painted  faience  in 
the  city,  the  man  argued  that,  durmg  his  stay  in  Holland,  he 
had  discovered  the  secret  of  making  a  white  and  blue  ware 
of  incomparable  quality;  that  he  had  manufactured,  stored 
up,  and  left  behind  in  that  country  a  large  quantity  of  goods 
which  he  wanted  to  import  into  France  under  the  protection 
of  the  State,  until  he  could  establish  in  Paris  a  factory  for  the 
making  of  the  ware  he  had  invented.  It  is  easy  to  detect, 
under  the  terms  of  such  a  preposterous  application,  the 
subterfuge  of  a  shrewd  dealer,  trying  to  secure  in  this  way 
the  monopoly  of  a  profitable  trade.     The  privilege  he  obtained 


76  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

had,  of  course,  no  value  whatever.  Dutch  faience  continued 
to  be  imported  by  other  merchants,  and  Claude  Reverend  never 
had  a  factory  of  his  own. 

The  number  of  examples  bearing  inscriptions  and  showing 
slight  peculiarities  of  manufacture  which  leave  no  doubt  as 
to  their  origin,  is  sufficient  to  show  that  stanniferous  faience 
was  actually  made  in  Paris,  at  least  on  a  small  scale.  It  is 
obvious,  however,  that  the  painters  who  had  been  drawn 
from  the  provinces  did  not  depart  from  the  style  of 
design  which  had  originated  at  Rouen,  On  all  pieces  fairly 
authenticated  as  Paris  work,  we  see  the  Rouen  "  Lambrequins  " 
and  "embroidery  borders"  faithfully  reproduced,  but  they  are 
somewhat  inferior  in  treatment.  The  same  colours  are  em- 
ployed in  the  polychrome  patterns,  but  they  lack  brilliance,  and 
the  scarlet  red  of  the  Norman  potter  is  replaced  by  a  dark 
yellow.  To  make  up  for  the  poorness  of  the  general  effect, 
the  details  are  always  outlined  with  manganese.  The  above 
features  are  noticeable  in  the  curious  series  of  genuine  re- 
presentations of  the  ware  brought  together  in  the  Sevres 
Museum,  one  of  which  is  reproduced  in  this  book. 

The  series  comprises  jugs,  dishes,  and  particularly  capacious 
bowls  used  for  mixing  mulled  wine.  Each  specimen  is  a  unique 
work,  fittingly  decorated  to  please  the  friend  or  the  regular 
customer  to  whom  it  was  presented  by  the  maker.  Thus  we 
see  the  patron  saints  of  the  shoemaker  painted  on  a  large  wine 
bowl  inscribed  :  "  Present  fait  par  Mr.  Frapart  a  Mr.  Boulange, 
1709."  Upon  other  pieces  we  have  the  emblems  of  several 
trades,  namely:  the  gardener's,  with  the  name  of  "Jacques 
Gondoin,  1722";  the  wine  merchant's,  "Erne  Bourron,  1726"; 
the  surgeon's,  "  J.  B.  de  la  Barre,  1727 " ;  the  butcher's, 
"Gavrre  Arnee,  1731."  All  the  above,  and  many  others,  are 
richly  decorated  in  the  Rouen  style.  No  mark  has  ever  been 
found  upon  any  of  them,  but  the  names  with  which  they  are 
inscribed,  and  the  word  "Paris"  which  follows  in  several  instances, 
give  them  an  undeniably  local  character. 


EREATUM. 

Tbe  figure  facing  page  76  should  be  numbered  Fig.  21,  not  Fig.  22. 


French  PaIench. 


Pi   ^ 
a   o 


o   < 

C3     O 


a  ^  5^  3 

0  -  h3  " 

o  -^  O  t2 

pj  3  ^  o 


PARIS.  77 

Not  before  1720  do  we  find  documentary  evidence  of  a 
faience  manufacturer  being  at  work  in  the  Rue  de  la  Roquette, 
Faubourg  St.-Antoine,  a  part  of  the  town  thenceforth  affected 
towards  the  carrying  on  of  this  new  branch  of  the  ceramic 
industry.  His  name  was  Francois  Hebert ;  he  was  related  to  the 
Chicanneau  family,  and  by  this  fact  the  likeness  of  his  products 
to  those  of  Saint-Cloud  and  Rouen  is  easily  accounted  for. 
In  1730,  Genest,  a  neighbour  of  his,  in  whose  works  common 
pottery  had  been  made  since  1675,  began  the  manufacture  of 
white  faience.  He  was  succeeded  by  Jean  Binet  in  1750.  In 
connection  with  the  affairs  of  the  latter  factory,  we  are  made 
aware  of  the  fact  that  potters  could  not  yet  exercise  their  trade 
in  full  freedom.  Genest  had  to  maintain  long  and  costly  Htiga- 
tion  against  the  magistrates  who,  on  the  strength  of  an  edict 
of  1723,  had  ordered  his  factory  to  be  closed.  He  only  won 
his  case  by  representing  that  his  predecessors  had  worked  at 
the  trade  on  the  same  spot  for  close  on  eighty  years  without 
interference. 

One  Digne  set  up  a  more  important  establishment  in  the  same 
Rue  de  la  Roquette,  at  about  the  same  period.  He  enjoyed  the 
patronage  of  the  Duchess  of  Orleans,  daughter  of  the  Regent, 
who  gave  him  a  commission  for  a  set  of  drug-pots,  destined  for 
the  pharmacy  of  the  Chelles  Convent,  of  which  she  was  Abbess. 
The  pots  were  handsomely  painted  in  the  Rouen  style,  and 
emblazoned  with  the  arms  of  the  d'Orleans  family.  Odd 
specimens  of  the  set,  now  dispersed,  have  found  their  way  into 
public  and  private  collections. 

A  growing  demand  for  faience  stoves  greatly  assisted  the 
development  of  the  Paris  ceramic  industry.  Elegant  models 
were  prepared  by  the  best  sculptors  ;  they  were  produced  chiefly 
in  pure  white,  or  with  rich  gilding  in  the  rococo  style  to 
agree  with  the  tasteful  schemes  of  decoration  in  vogue  at  that 
moment.     Of  these,  charming  examples  are  still  in  existence. 

Towards  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century  stanniferous 
faience  had  grown  out  of  date,  and   was  being  supplanted  by 


78  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

imitations  of  English  earthenware,  or,  as  it  was  called,  "  Faience 
fine."  The  royal  manufactory  of  "  Terre  d' Angle terre,"  or  of 
"  The  Pont  aux  Choux,"  situated  in  the  Kue  de  Charonne,  had 
been  founded  by  Edme  as  early  as  1748.  His  cream  colour, 
black  basalt,  and  other  kinds  of  English  ware,  commanded  a 
great  success.  The  establishment  was  greatly  enlarged  by 
Mignon  in  1766.  The  latter  professed  to  undertake  the  making 
of  any  exceptional  and  costly  pieces  that  could  be  ordered  from 
him.  Chapelle,  who  was  later  on  to  establish  the  factory  of 
Sceaux,  had  been  his  manager.  OUivier,  a  stove  manufacturer, 
also  tried  his  hand  at  imitating,  but  with  little  success,  all  the 
productions  of  Josiah  Wedgwood,  including  white  and  blue 
jasper.  Another  competitor  in  the  same  class  of  manufacture 
was  Potter,  established  in  the  Kue  de  Crussol,  at  a  factory 
styled   "  The  Prince  of  Wales  Works." 

E.  Garnier  has  collected  a  few  particulars  concerning  the 
faience  of  Paris  in  his  "  Dictionnaire  de  la  Ceramique,"  Paris, 
1894,  but  no  special  monograph  has  yet  been  written  on  the 

subject. 

SINCENY. 

Another  offspring  of  the  prolific  Kouen  trunk  is  the  faience 
made  at  Sinceny ;  the  relationship  is  unmistakable ;  a  strikmg 
likeness  to  the  ancestor  is  imprinted  upon  every  feature  of  the 
descendant. 

Towards  1728  J.  B.  de  Fayard,  "Seigneur"  of  Sinceny,  and 
governor  of  Chauny,  in  Picardy,  conceived  the  idea  of  endowing 
his  province  with  a  new  industry,  and  to  that  effect  he  built  a 
small  faience  factory  under  the  very  walls  of  his  castle.  Trials 
were  at  first  made  in  a  desultory  way,  but  regular  production  was 
definitely  established  in  1733,  Avhen  Pierre  Pelleve,  from  Rouen, 
having  been  engaged  as  practical  manager,  came  over  accom- 
panied by  thirty  experienced  workmen.  As  was  to  be 
expected,  they  did  not  produce  anything  that  was  in  any  way 
different  from  the  ware  they  had  been  accustomed  to  make  in 
the  worksh()[)s  they  had  just  loft.  They  repeated  the  "  radiating  " 


PLATE    XIII. 
ROUEN. 

Jug:   Decoration    upon   an    Enamelled    Blue   Ground. 

H.  7|-  in.     Diam.  4  in. 
(By  kind  permission  of  J.  H.  Fitzhenry,  Esq.) 


ROUEN. 

Fig.  22.—  dish   avith   polychrome    becoeation 
(attributed  to  guillibeaux). 

D.  1.5  in.     {See  p.  71.) 


SINCENY.  79 

patterns  and  the  pseudo-Chinese  subjects  much  in  fashion  at  that 
moment.  They  showed,  however,  a  marked  predilection  for 
grotesque  figures  of  mandarins  with  flowing  robes,  disporting 
themselves  among  a  growth  of  nondescript  flowers,  the  subject 
being  framed  with  the  extravagant  ornamentation  accepted  as 
representing  the  Oriental  style.  All  of  it  was  so  closely  imitated 
from  the  Rouen  designs,  that  were  it  not  for  the  presence  of  an 
occasional  S  traced  in  blue,  a  piece  of  Sinceny  manufacture 
could  hardly  be  recognised,  A  yellow  of  remarkable  brilliance, 
and  an  opaque  red  lighter  and  less  glossy  than  the  one 
employed  at  Rouen,  may  sometimes  be  taken  as  guides  to 
identification. 

Several  of  the  best  painters  from  the  Norman  factories, 
among  whom  Claude  Borne  must  be  mentioned  first,  worked 
at  Sinceny,  and,  with  their  assistance,  very  creditable,  if  not 
quite  original  faience  was  painted  towards  1751. 

When  the  over-glaze  decoration,  fired  up  in  the  reverberating 
kiln,  became  so  popular,  Chambon,  who  was  then  director, 
engaged  P.  Bertrand  and  other  clever  hands  from  Lorrame 
to  decorate  the  ware  in  the  newly  introduced  style.  Their  work 
is  said  to  be  indistinguishable  from  the  best  work  made  at 
Strasburg.  This  last  move  retarded  only  by  a  few  years  the 
complete  abandonment  of  faience  painting ;  all  that  was  done 
after  that  time  was  not  above  the  cheapest  description  of 
domestic  articles  in  plain  white  or  bro^vn. 

It  was  but  lately  that  the  existence  of  the  Sinceny  factory 
was  revealed  to  the  collector.  He  might  have  preferred  to  be 
left  in  blessed  ignorance,  for  it  is  rather  disappointing  to  be 
made  aware  of  the  probability  that  some  specimen  in  our 
possession,  so  far  believed  to  be  a  genuine  example  of  Rouen  or 
Strasburg,  may  have  originated  from  a  place  where  nothing  but 
counterfeits  were  made. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

Warmont.— Recherclies  historiques  sur  les  faiences  de  Sinceny^  Rouy 
et  Ognes.     Paris,  1864.     8vo. 


80  FRENCH   FAIENCE: 

PouY  (F.). — Les  faiences  d'origine  picarde.     Amiens   1873.     8vo. 
Lecocq  (J.  AND  Gr.). — Histoire  des  fabriques  de  faience  de  la  Haute- 

Picardie.     Paris,  1877.     4to. 
WiGNiER  (C). — Poterie  vernissees  de  I'ancien  Ponthieu.     Paris,  1887. 

8vo, 

LILLE. 

At  the  request  of  the  civic  magistrates,  Jacques  Febvrier,  a 
modeller  from  Tournay,  and  Jean  Bossu,  a  painter  from  Ghent, 
established  a  manufactory  of  painted  faience  in  the  town  of  Lille 
in  the  year  1696.  Notwithstanding  this  apparently  Flemish 
origin  the  factory  adopted  exclusively  the  current  style  of  pro- 
duction then  in  favour  in  Normandy.  On  that  account  the 
faience  of  Lille  is  usually  considered  as  a  direct  derivation  from 
that  of  Rouen,  and  both  are  consequently  classed  in  the  same 
group.  No  doubt  the  leading  painters  employed  by  J.  Febvrier 
had  been  obtained  from  the  chief  centre  of  manufacture  which 
supplied  well-trained  hands  to  nearly  all  the  other  factories  of 
France. 

An  often  quoted  example  of  the  early  Lille  faience  is  the 
portable  altar  now  in  the  Sevres  Museum,  which  bears  the 
following  inscription:  "Fecit  jacobus  S.  Feburier  Insulis  in 
Flandria,  anno  1716  ;  and  Pinxit  Maria  Stephanus  Borne,  amio 
1716."  The  piece  is  painted  in  blue  in  the  Rouen  style.  A  still 
more  telling  piece  of  evidence  of  absolute  imitation  is  afforded 
by  the  large  armorial  dish  preserved  in  the  Victoria  and 
Albert  Museums.     Both  pieces  are  reproduced  in  this  work. 

J.  Febvrier  having  died  in  1729  in  highly  prosperous  cir- 
cumstances, he  was  succeeded  by  his  widow,  who  took  her  son- 
in-law,  Francois  Boussemart,  into  partnership.  Under  their 
jomt  management  the  concern  had  increased  so  much  in 
importance  that  they  deemed  themselves  Avarranted  in  re- 
questing that  the  title  of  Royal  manufactory  should  be  granted 
to  their  works,  alleging  that  they  were  "  the  largest  establish- 
ment of  the  kind  existing  in  the  kingdom," 

Boussemart  worked  until  177S,  iu  wliit!li  year    the  factory 


2  S   . 

.    ^   X.  '£ 


Z  < 

I  H  ^ 

i  ^  g 

K  PL,  ^ 


LILLE.  81 

passed  into  the  hands  of  Philippe  Petit,  who  maintained  the 
high  standard  of  the  manufacture.  As  had  been  the  case  in 
almost  all  French  factories,  the  faience  of  Lille  passed  through 
all  the  modifications  demanded  by  the  evolution  of  public 
taste ;  Moustiers  and  Strasburg  were  imitated  in  turn.  The 
enamel  is  remarkably  white  and  brilliant,  but  the  colours  are 
dull  and  weak ;  the  decorative  treatment  is  inferior  to  the 
average  of  the  faience  of  artistic  pretensions;  it  has  none  of 
the  boldness  and  accuracy  displayed  by  the  painters  of  the  chief 
centres. 

No  mark  is  found  upon  the  early  ware ;  various  combina- 
tions of  the  monogram  F.B.  distinguish  that  made  by  Fran9ois 
Boussemart. 

We  find  another  connecting  link  between  the  factories  of 
Rouen  and  Lille,  in  the  fact  that  the  soft  porcelain  invented  by 
Poterat — of  which  Chicanneau  had  transported  the  secret  to 
Saint- Cloud — was  also  made  without  any  appreciable  differ- 
ence by  Barthelemy  Dorez,  of  Lille. 

This  Barthelemy  Dorez  was  established  as  a  faiencier  as 
early  as  1711 ;  but  no  specimen  of  his  faience  has  ever  been 
authenticated.  The  soft  porcelain  he  made  in  association  with 
his  nephew,  P.  Pelissier,  is  recognisable  by  the  L  or  the  D 
with  which  it  is  usually  marked.  He  was  succeeded  by  Hereng 
in  1755 ;  in  1786  the  works  were  in  the  possession  of  H.  F. 
Lefebvre. 

Minor  factories  belonging  to  J.  B,  Wamps,  Maskelier  and 
others  have  existed  in  the  town. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

HouDOY  (J.). — Histoire  de  la  ceramique  lilloise.     Paris,  1869.     8vo. 
CussAC. — ISTotice  raisonnee  sur  les  faiences  de  la  collection  de  Mr.  E. 
Cussac.     Lille,  1878.     8vo. 

VALENCIENNES. 
A  few  words  on  the  factories  of  Valenciennes  are  the  necessary 
complement  of  the  foregoing  notice  of  the  Lille  faience.     The 

G 


82  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

ware  made  in  both  places  was  identically  of  the  same  description, 
the  manufacturers  were  members  of  the  same  family,  and  had 
worked  together  at  one  time. 

We  have  seen  a  branch  of  the  Dorez  family  successfully 
established  at  Lille,  In  1735  three  brothers  were  conducting  in 
association  the  works  that  their  father,  Jean  Baptiste,  had 
founded  in  1710.  One  of  them,  F.  Louis  Dorez,  dissolved 
partnership  and  started  a  business  of  his  own  in  the  town  of 
Valenciennes.  He  was  thoroughly  experienced  in  the  ways  and 
means  of  manufacture,  and  he  was  in  receipt  of  a  small  subsidy 
from  the  town  council.  Success,  however,  did  not  reward  his 
enterprise.  At  the  end  of  five  years  he  died,  leaving  his  factory 
in  rather  bad  circumstances.  His  brother,  Claude  Dorez,  was 
not  more  fortunate;  he  failed  and  retired  in  1748.  Of  the 
results  of  another  venture,  made  by  Picart  in  1756,  we  have  no 
particulars.  Gaspard  Becar  comes  next  on  the  list  with  a  pottery 
and  faience  factory,  which,  having  commenced  with  better 
prospects,  came  to  grief  in  1780. 

All  these  ill-fated  attempts  to  endow  the  town  of  Valenciennes 
with  a  faience  manufactory  have,  curiously  enough,  left  nothing 
by  which  they  could  be  remembered  besides  a  few  names  and 
dates.  Some  ware  was  made,  at  least  for  a  time,  by  each  of 
the  short-hved  works;  but  they  never  went  beyond  copjdng 
the  patterns  produced  at  Lille,  and  discrimination  between  the 
copies  and  the  model  is  now  a  matter  of  great  difficulty.  Many 
specimens  have  been  attributed  to  Valenciennes,  but  none  has 
ever  been  fully  authenticated. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

Leji^al  (A.). — Beclierclies  liistoriques  sur  les  manufactures  de  faience 
et  de  porcelaine  de  Valenciennes.     Valenciennes,  1868.     8vo. 

SAINT-AMAND-LES-EAUX. 

Although  the  small  town  of  Saint- Amand  is  situated  but  a  short 
distance  from  Valenciennes,  its  faience  manufactory  had  quite  a 


O 

•c 
I 


§ 
I 
§ 


o 
2 


2     ..    5 

M      <    C 


SAINT-AMdND-LES-EAUX.  83 

distinct  origin.  Tlie  founder,  Pierre  Joseph  Fauquez,  came  from 
Tournay  where  he  had  acquired  some  experience  of  the  Flemish 
and  Dutch  methods  of  manufacture.  Three  generations  of 
Fauquez  succeeded  each  other  in  the  management  of  the 
works,  and,  unhke  their  neighbours,  maintained  the  business 
in  a  flourishing  condition,  until  the  revolution  of  1793  obliged 
J.  B.  Fauquez  to  emigrate  to  Germany. 

Among  the  minor  factories,  Saint- Amand  stands  in  the  front 
rank  by  reason  of  the  good  quality  of  its  ware  and  the  skilful 
treatment  of  the  decoration.  The  structure  of  the  pieces  is 
thin  and  light — a  quality  which  is  peculiar  to  Dutch  ware,  and 
which  other  French  fa'ienciers  never  took  much  trouble  to  obtain. 
The  stanniferous  enamel  is  never  tinged  with  blue  or  green,  as  at 
Nevers  and  at  Rouen,  but  is  always  pure  and  white.  In 
the  style  of  decoration  we  do  not  find  much  to  recommend 
it  on  the  score  of  originality.  We  must,  however,  make  an 
exception  in  the  case  of  the  pieces  with  bluish  grounds,  on 
which  designs  in  opaque  white  enamel  are  raised  after  the 
fashion  called  by  the  Italians  "sopra  bianco."  Examples 
of  this  kind  are  not  uncommon ;  the  style  is  quite  peculiar  to 
Saint-Amand.  They  are  usually  marked  with  crossed  FF's, 
for  Fauquez,  but  arranged  in  the  way  that  recalls  the  L's  of 
Sevres.  As  for  the  rest  of  the  painted  ware,  pure  imitations 
intended  to  be  sold  as  Rouen  or  Strasburg,  we  can  understand 
why  they  never  bear  any  mark. 

Faience-porcelain  was  painted  by  A.  Gaudry  with  Watteau 
subjects.  It  shows  a  deUcacy  of  execution  which  makes  it 
much  sought  after  by  collectors.  Earthenware,  in  the  EngHsh 
taste  as  to  shapes,  but  painted  in  gold  and  colours  in  the 
Strasburg  style,  was  the  last  production. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

Lejeal  (A. ). — Note  sur  une  marque  de  faience  contestee.    Valenciennes, 
1865.     8vo. 
G  2 


84  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

SAINT-DENIS-SUR-SARTHON. 

Ceramograpliy  is  responsible  for  the  publication  of  more 
than  one  volume  as  insipid  as  it  is  uncalled  for.  It  ought  to 
be  known  by  this  time  that  there  have  been  countless  pot  works 
in  which,  for  generations,  uncouth  earthen  vessels  have  been 
fashioned  and  baked,  just  as  loaves  were  being  formed  and 
bread  baked  in  the  next  baker's  shop ;  in  both  cases  with 
an  equal  unconsciousness  of  the  possibility  of  improvement. 
Yet  a  local  writer  who  would  spurn  the  idea  of  compiling 
the  history  of  the  village  bakery  thinks  that  he  deserves  our 
gratitude  for  bringing  to  light  the  vicissitudes  of  an  obscure 
and  justly  forgotten  faience  factory. 

The  existence  of  the  works  of  Saint-Denis-sur-Sarthon  has 
been  revealed  to  us  in  a  lengthy  and  showy  monograph,  A 
glance  at  it  leaves  us  under  the  impression  that  it  was  scarcely 
worth  while  to  print  on  fine  paper,  and  illustrate  with  twenty 
coloured  plates  of  quarto  size,  incontestable  evidence  that  no 
more  insignificant,  not  to  say  ugly,  crockery  was  ever  produced 
anywhere.  But  such  a  fine  book  cannot  be  ignored,  and  I  feel 
bound  to  extract  from  it  the  following  particulars : — 

Jean  Ruel  de  Belleisle,  ironmaster  at  Saint-Denis-sur-Sarthon 
obtained,  in  1749,  letters-patent  for  the  manufacture  of  painted 
faience  in  that  region.  His  manager  was  a  Rouen  painter  named 
Pierre  Relieve,  formerly  director  of  the  Sinceny  factoiy.  The 
patterns  which  were  executed  during  the  five  years  Pellev6 
stayed  with  Jean  Ruel,  in  the  much  simplified  style  of  Sinceny, 
are  bad  enough  in  their  way ;  but  those  which  were  after  that 
time  daubed  on  the  ware  by  the  self-taught  labourers  of  the 
place  can  be  better  imagined  than  described.  The  works  were 
finally  closed  in  1861. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

Despierres  (Gr.), — Ilistoire  de   la  faience  de  Saint-Denis-sur-Sarthon. 
Alen9on,  1889.     4to. 


i 

o 


6, 


w 


PLATE    XVI. 
LILLE. 

Armorial-Dish   in  the  Rouen  Style, 

D.  91  in. 

[See  p.  80  . ) 


3    Q 


Ph  la  M   .S 

£  <^  3  o 

S3      rT  1^  i^      • 

U    m  >^  < 

o    ^  Q 


P^     Q 


Fig.  26.- 


ROUEN. 

-CIDER    PITCHER  :     POLYCHROME 
DECORATION.      INSCRIBED    AND 
DATED    1727. 
H.  12  in. 


ROUEN. 

Fig.   27.— PLA.TES   xVND   SOUP-TDREEN    WITH 
PATTERN    "a   la   CORNE." 

[Seep.  71.) 


00 


PARIS. 

Fig.  29.— salad  dish  painted  in  polychrome. 

D.  13in.     iSeep.lC).) 


I 


I.IU.E. 

Fig.  30.— altar  front  painted  in  blue  and 
yellow  :  signed  "  jacobus  feburier 
and  maria  stephanus  borne  1716." 

H.  .Slin.  (Seep.m.) 


LILLE. 

Fig.  31. — .jug  with   polycheome  decoeation 
in  the  rouen  style:  dated  1723. 

H.  10  in. 


Fig.  32.— tea-pot  by  boussemart 

DATED    1768. 
{Seep.  80.) 


SAINT.AMAND-LES-EAUX. 

Fig.  34.— dish  with  a  boavl  adhering  to 
the  centre  :  painted  in  blue, 
signed  n.  a.  dorez,  1757. 

L.  14  in.     {See  p.  85.) 


SAINT-AMAND-LES-EAUX, 

Fig.  35.— cruet  stand. 

L.  10  in. 


VI. 

MOUSTIERS. 

VARAGES  —  ARDUS       AND        MONTAUBAN  —  APT  —  BORDEAUX 
CLERMONT-FERRAND    —     TOULOUSE     —     MONTPELLIER 
NARBONNE — SAMADET, 


MOUSTIERS. 

How  it  came  to  pass  that  Moustiers — a  small  village  lost  in  the 
mountains  of  Provence  and  deprived  of  all  the  facilities  of  com- 
munication with  the  commercial  centres — developed  one  day 
into  an  important  seat  of  faience  manufacture  is  a  question 
that  can  scarcely  be  answered  by  an  appUcation  of  the  usual 
causes  which  govern  industrial  prosperity.  Yet  history  tells  us 
that  Moustiers  has  occupied  in  the  sunny  south — with  respect 
to  the  ceramic  industry — a  position  equivalent  to  that  which 
was  held  by  Nevers  and  Eouen  in  Central  and  Northern  France. 
For  long  it  remained  a  generative  focus,  dispensing  life  and 
energy  to  a  host  of  minor  factories  which  branched  off  from  it 
in  every  direction. 

To  Pierre  Clericy,  or  Clerissy,  belongs  the  credit  of  having 
established,  towards  1679— and  not  1686,  as  has  been  stated 
by  previous  historians — the  first  faience  manufactory.  A 
member  of  the  family,  Antoine  Clericy,  is  known  to  have  been 
potter  to  the  king  at  Fontainebleau,  in  1612.  The  enviable 
position  that  the  latter  had  attained  in  the  trade  may  have 
induced  his  descendant  to  follow  in  his  steps,  and  become  him- 
self a  potter.  Local  historians  do  not  hesitate  to  ascribe  to 
P.  Clerissy  the  discovery  of  all  the  secrets  of  the  Moustiers 
manufacture.  One  might  trace  the  origin  of  his  technical 
experience  to  the  intercourse  he  may  have  had  in  his  youth 
with  one  Jean  Clerissy,  also  a  native  of  Moustiers,  who  was  at 
the  time  Cure  of  Paimboeuf,  in  the  diocese  of  Rouen.  If  that 
be  the  case  we  have  reason  to  suspect  that  the  manufacturing 
processes  practised  at  Rouen  were  the  source  from  which  those 


88  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

introduced  at  Moustiers  by  Pierre  Clerissy,  first  of  the  name, 
had  been  originally  obtained.  It  must  also  be  mentioned  that 
one  A.  Clerissy  had  a  factory  at  Marseilles,  where  he  made 
ornamental  faience  in  the  style  of  the  Savona  potters. 

The  early  Moustiers  ware  shows  a  tendency  to  rival  the  late 
Italian  majolica.  We  notice,  however,  that  while  most  ambitious 
figure  subjects,  copied  from  the  engravings  of  Franz  Floris  and 
Antonio  Tempesta,  occupy  the  centre  of  the  piece,  the  ornamental 
borders  affect  an  undisguised  reminiscence  of  the  Rouen 
"  lambrequins  "  and  "  lace  "  patterns.  In  these  no  indication  of 
the  characteristic  style  that  was,  later  on,  to  distinguish  the 
Moustiers  faience  can  be  detected.  A  large  dish  in  the  Borely 
Museum  at  Marseilles,  representing  the  Good  Samaritan,  and 
inscribed:  "  G.  Viry  F''  a  Moustiers  chez  Clerissy,  1711," 
and  other  equally  remarkable  specimens  painted  with  hunting 
scenes  or  religious  and  mythological  subjects,  preserved  in 
various  collections,  give  us  a  fair  notion  of  the  artistic  merit 
and  composite  style  of  the  ware  made  at  that  period. 

The  master  died  in  1728,  leaving  his  growing  factory  in  the 
hands  of  his  nephew,  Pierre  Clerissy  II.,  under  whose  care  its  im- 
portance greatly  increased.  He  was  assisted  by  a  staff  of  talented 
painters ;  the  names  of  Gaspard  and  T.  B.  Viry,  Solome,  Ferraud, 
Fauchier,  Baron,  Pol  and  Hyacinthe  Rouse,  Pelloquin,  and 
Joseph  Fouque  (who  was  to  become  his  partner),  occur  upon  the 
ware.  A  definite  and  unprecedented  style  of  decoration  was  then 
established.  As  it  was  strictly  adhered  to  by  all  the  decorators, 
we  may  assume  that  its  adoption  was  not  due  to  the  commanding 
influence  of  one  of  the  artists,  but  rather  to  the  personal  taste  of 
the  manufacturer.  The  designs  are,  in  the  earliest  and  best 
examples,  traced  in  light  blue  with  great  firmness  and  delicacy. 
They  are  composed  of  graceful  scrolls  and  garlands,  hanging 
canopies  and  elegant  pedestals,  enlivened  with  flying  cupids  and 
figures  of  nymphs  and  satyrs  ;  in  short,  the  wealth  of  ornamental 
motives  that  could  be  extracted  from  the  engravings  of  Berain, 
J.  Marot,  and  Bernard  Toro,  were  almost  exclusively  put  under 


PLATE    XVII. 
MOUSTIBRS. 

Plateau  with  Hunting  Scene. 

(By  A.  Clerissy.) 
D.  22|-  in. 

{See  p.  88.) 


moustiers. 

Fig.  36.— fountain    with    polychrome 
decoration  :  marked  g.  ros. 

[Seep.  88.) 


3I0USTIERS.  89 

contribution.     Polychrome  patterns  made  their  appearance  at  a 
later  date. 

These  neat  and  slender  traceries,  which  contrasted  with  the 
rather  heavy  mode  of  ornamentation  adopted  in  other  manufac- 
turing centres,  gave  to  the  Moustiers  faience  an  attractive  look 
of  its  own,  and  contributed  largely  to  its  success.  It  possessed 
an  additional  recommendation  in  the  quality  of  its  stanniferous 
enamel,  which  surpassed  all  others  in  depth  and  brilliance. 
It  must  be  recollected  that  those  were  the  halcyon  days  of 
faience  making  ;  the  gaily-painted  ware  was  the  rage  of  the 
moment,  the  production  could  not  cope  with  the  demand.  So 
Pierre  Clerissy  II.,  in  spite  of  the  out-of-the-way  situation  of  his 
works,  managed  to  send  his  ware  all  over  France,  Spain,  and 
Italy,  and  Avas  steadily  amassing  a  fortune.  He  contributed 
largely  to  the  supply  of  the  armorial  dinner  services,  which 
a  fashion  arising  from  social  events  had  rendered  indispensable 
requisites  in  the  palaces  of  the  nobility  and  the  dwellings 
of  the  wealthy.  Specimens  are  still  in  existence  of  the  one 
ordered  by  the  Marshal  de  Eichelieu  in  1734,  and  of  another 
executed  for  Madame  de  Pompadour  in  1745,  at  the  cost  of 
one  thousand  livres.  Here  a  slight  historical  rectification  must 
find  its  place.  It  is  recorded,  in  all  that  has  been  written  about 
Moustiers,  that  P.  Clerissy  was  created  a  Baron  by  Louis  XIV.,  as 
a  reward  for  his  successful  career  as  a  manufacturer.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  having  purchased  the  baronial  estate  of  Trevans, 
Clerissy  also  bought,  in  hard  cash,  the  office  of  secretary  of  the 
King  to  the  Parliament  of  Provence,  an  office  to  which  a  patent 
of  nobility  was  attached,  and  he  was  thenceforth  entitled  to  style 
himseH  Baron  of  Trevans. 

He  retired  from  business  towards  1748 ;  his  partner,  the 
painter  Joseph  Fouque,  succeeded  him  as  proprietor  of  the 
works.  Gaspard  Fouque,  son  of  the  latter,  was  the  last  manu- 
facturer of  painted  faience ;  after  him,  the  making  of  common 
ware  lingered  in  the  place  until  1852, 

No  fewer  than  fourteen  faience  works  flourished  in  the  town 


90  FRENCH   FAIENCE; 

at  one  time.      Those  of  Oleiys  and  Laugiers   created  a  strong 
competition  with  those  of  the  Clerissys  and  Fouques. 

Olerys  had  come  from  Marseilles,  and  began  work  as  a 
faience  painter  in  the  employment  of  Pierre  Clerissy.  The 
Moustiers  ware  was,  at  that  moment,  so  highly  appreciated  in 
Spain,  whither  it  was  largely  exported,  that  the  Prime  Minister, 
the  Count  of  Aranda,  commissioned  a  special  agent  to  offer  a 
remunerative  engagement  to  any  experienced  workman  capable 
of  undertaking  the  establishment  of  a  similar  kind  of  manu- 
facture. Olerys  accepted  the  conditions  that  were  offered  to 
him,  and  he  repaired  to  Alcora  to  instruct  in  the  new  ways  the 
Spanish  potters  who  had  long  been  at  the  work  in  that  locality. 
He  supplied  them  with  designs  in  his  favourite  Toro  style,  and 
the  ware  they  made  under  his  direction  became  an  exact  duplica- 
tion of  the  Moustiers  faience.  From  the  Spaniards  he  learned  the 
composition  of  various  colours  which  had  been  seldom,  if  ever, 
employed  by  his  master  Clerissy.  On  his  return  to  Moustiers  he 
entered  into  partnership  with  his  brother-in-law,  Laugiers,  and 
in  1738  they  started  a  factory  in  which  special  attention  was 
given  to  the  production  of  polychrome  patterns.  Their  works 
stood  at  the  "  Pourtau  Deis  Oulo,"  or  gate  of  the  potteries ;  a 
name  v,^hich  by-the-bye,  implies  that  common  potters  had  long 
been  settled  on  the  spot. 

To  Olerys  are  due  the  elaborate  pieces  on  which  we  see 
medallions  crowded  with  minute  figures,  and  engarlanded  with 
wreaths  of  small  flowers.  The  subjects,  usually  traced  in  blue, 
are  coloured  with  light  and  dark  yellow,  a  faint  purple,  and  a 
pale  green,  obtained  by  a  mixture  of  blue  and  yellow.  Occa- 
sionally touches  of  an  opaque  red,  very  inferior  to  the  red 
employed  at  Kouen,  are  sparingly  introduced.  In  these  poly- 
chrome specimens  the  painting  is  executed  with  great  deHcacy 
upon  a  white  glaze  as  remarkable  as  ever  for  its  gloss  and 
limpidity.  Nevertheless,  owing  to  the  want  of  power  of  the 
colours  at  the  disposal  of  the  painter,  the  general  effect  is  | 
decidedly  weak  and  dull. 


0    « 

g  § 

<:  ft  — 

pi  05 

3     H^  CO 

o    -^  jc 

H  a  ^ 

flog 

ft   cS  ^ 

W      as    fa  -^^> 

I    1^ 


MOVSTIEES.  91 

To  the  same  master  is  also  ascribed  the  introduction  of 
the  grotesque  style.  The  dishes  and  jugs,  studded  all  over  the 
groundwork  with  comical  personages  and  nondescript  creatures, 
borrowed  from  the  caricatures  of  J.  Callot,  or  born  out  of 
the  froKcsome  imagination  of  some  local  artist,  appear  to  have 
had  a  long  run  of  success.  They  are  generally  painted  in 
camaieu,  either  purple,  gTeen,  or  dark  yellow ;  they  coincide 
with  the  decline  of  faience  painting. 

The  partnership  between  Olerys  and  Laugiers  was  dissolved 
in  1749 ;  from  that  year  Olerys,  unable  to  start  again  in  business, 
worked  as  a  painter  for  the  chief  manufacturers  up  to  1783,  the 
date  of  his  death.  His  mark  was  an  0  crossed  with  an  L.  As 
the  ware  he  marked  in  that  way  covers  a  rather  long  period,  it 
comprises  specimens  of  very  unequal  value,  some  being  of  the 
highest  order,  many  others  of  the  most  coarse  and  vulgar 
description.  The  forgers  have  never  omitted  to  affix  Olerys' 
mark  on  the  spurious  Moustiers  faience  with  which  they  have 
inundated  the  curiosity  market.  Fortunately  they  have  never 
been  able  to  imitate  the  particular  excellence  of  the  stanniferous 
glaze,  which  remains  a  safe  warrant  of  genuineness. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

Davillier  (J.  C). — Histoire  des  faiences  et  porcelaines  de  Moustiers. 

Paris,  1863.     8vo. 
DosTE   (J.  E.). — Notice    historique    sur    Moustiers    et    ses  faiences. 

Marseilles,  1874.     8vo. 
Berluc-Pbrussis. — Les    anciennes     faiences    de   la    Haute-Provence. 

Digne,  1885.     8vo. 
Pouque  (E.). — Moustiers  et  ses  faiences.     Aix,  1889.     8vo. 
Requin  (L'Abbe  H.). — Histoire  de  la  faience  artistique  de  Moustiers. 

Tome  P-".     Paris,  1903.     4to. 

VAKAGES. 

As  the  town  of  Moustiers  was  getting  overcrowded  with 
faience  factories,  some  enterprising  potters  opened  new  work- 
shops in  the  neighbouring  village  of  Varages.    Among  the  names 


92  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

of  the  settlers  we  find  that  of  one  Clerissy.  They  started  a  sharp 
competition  against  the  original  centre  by  imitating  the  most 
successful  patterns,  and  selling  their  products  at  a  much  cheaper 
rate.  In  the  second  half  of  the  eighteenth  century,  eight  inde- 
pendent factories  were  in  full  working  order,  all  making 
common  Moustiers  faience  for  a  lower  class  of  trade. 

Although  large  pieces  of  apparatwere  never  attempted,  costly 
table  services  were  sometimes  executed.  Attributed  to  Varages 
are  some  exceptionally  fine  pieces,  painted  in  polychrome,  by  an 
anonymous  artist,  with  groups  of  diminutive  figures  standing 
before  a  complicated  background  of  landscape  and  architectural 
monuments.  A  plate  of  the  kind,  evidently  one  of  a  set,  is 
reproduced  in  the  sale  catalogue  of  the  A.  Leon  collection, 
Bordeaux,  1896.  It  is  inscribed:  "Monsieur  le  Chevalier 
Barreau."  The  celebrated  Robert,  of  Marseilles,  never  made 
anything  more  exquisitely  finished. 

Tavernes,  situated  in  the  same  region,  was  also  making  the 
same  kind  of  ware  up  to  1760. 

The  ware  was  left  unmarked.  A  cross  traced  in  blue  was 
formerly  believed  to  have  been  used  at  Varages  ;  it  has  since 
been  ascertained  that  the  blue  cross  is  common  to  many  faience 
works  of  the  South. 


ARDUS  AND  MONTAUBAN. 

It  is  admitted  that   a  modern  forgery  is  a  disgrace  to  a 
ceramic  collection,  but  any  tolerable  imitation  of  a  typical  style  ! 
of  manufacture  which  can  boast  an  ancient  pedigree  is  not  only  ! 
tolerated,    but    regarded    with    indulgent    appreciation.      The 
painted   faience    produced    at    Ardus    and   Montauban  might 
be  branded  with  the  name  of  "  shams,"  so  easy  is  it  to  mistake 
it  for  the  work  of  the  Moustiers  factories.     The  blue  traceries 
with  which  it  is  adorned  may  be  pencilled  with  less  boldness 
and  delicacy;   the  opaque  enamel  may  not  be  quite  so  white | 
and  glossy,  yet  these  copies  differ  very  little  from  the  originals,  i 


CO 


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moustiers. 

Fig.  38.— model  of  a  state  caeraige, 
decorated  in  blue  :  with 
the  arms  of  the  "  dauphin  " 

(^LOUIS   XV. ^ 
H.  7h  in. 


ARDUS   AND    MONTAUBAN.  93 

and  a  collector  is  often  satisfied  to  take  a  good  specimen  of 
Ardus  as  a  substitute  for  one  of  Moustiers. 

The  faiencerie  of  Ardus,  situated  three  miles  from  Mont- 
auban,  on  the  banks  of  the  Aveyron,  is  said  to  have  been 
founded  by  Baron  de  Lamothe  towards  1736.  It  had  been 
o-ranted  the  title  of  Eoyal  factory — a  title  which  carried  with 
it  the  privilege  of  placing  the  King's  arms  over  the  gates  of  the 
works,  and  of  dressing  the  hall  porter  in  the  royal  livery. 
Several  specimens  finely  decorated  in  a  style  which  denotes 
the  hand  of  a  Moustiers  painter  are  inscribed :  "  Ardus, 
1739." 

In  1746  the  factory  was  under  the  management  of  a  woman, 
Louise  Ruelle,  a  clever  faience  painter  who  has  signed  some  of 
her  work ;  she  took  a  partner  named  Delmas,  and  after  a  few 
years'  work  in  association  with  him  she  retired,  having  realised 
a  small  fortune.  Mathieu  Rigal  was  the  head  painter;  some 
plates  with  portraits  signed  and  dated  by  him  are  not  without 
artistic  merit.  Under  the  partnership  of  Lapierre  and  Lestrade, 
1752 — 1761,  polychrome  patterns  in  the  fashion  of  Rouen  were 
produced ;  the  pharmacy  of  the  hospital  of  Montauban  has  a  set 
of  pots  and  jars  of  that  period.  Common  pottery  continued 
to  be  made  at  Ardus  until  1874. 

Lestrade  and  Lapierre,  having  separated,  left  Ardus  for 
Montauban,  in  which  town  they  introduced  the  faience  industry 
in  1761  and  1770  respectively.  Their  example  was  followed  by 
other  potters,  and  at  one  time  eight  factories  were  competing 
against  each  other  in  the  place.  At  AuviUar,  a  neighbouring 
locality,  the  trade  developed  still  greater  proportions,  twelve 
faience  works  giving  employment  to  a  great  number  of  work- 
men. It  is  needless  to  say  that  their  productions,  although 
painted  in  imitation  of  the  best  style  of  the  period,  were  of  a 
very  cheap  and  vulgar  description,  and  that  they  offer  little 
of  artistic  interest  to  the  collector. 


94  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

FoRESTiE  (E.). — Les  anciennes  faienceries  cle  Montauban,  Ardus,  Negre- 
pelisse,  Auvillar,  etc.     Montauban,  1876.     8vo. 

APT. 

Cesar  Moulin  had  long  been  established  at  Apt  when  Joseph 
Fouque  married  his  daughter  and  joined  him  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  factory,  in  1789.  Joseph  was  brother  to  Gaspard 
Fouque,  the  successor  of  Clerissy.  Although  the  traditions  of 
Moustiers  were  never  followed  at  Apt,  the  relationship  which 
united  the  masters  created  a  natural  connection  between  the 
two  places,  and  warrant  us  in  ranging  both  in  the  same  group. 

Yellow  earthenware,  and  a  kind  of  "  agate  ware "  obtained 
by  a  skilful  marbling  of  red  and  yellow  clays,  richly  glazed 
with  lead- ore,  were  the  staple  articles  of  manufacture.  The 
ware  proceeded  obviously  from  the  English  importations,  the 
lightness  and  finish  of  which  was ,  also  attempted.  Many 
fine  examples  of  the  Apt  marbled  ware  are  preserved  in  the 
ceramic  collections.  The  forms,  inspired  from  the  work  of 
the  silversmith,  retain  the  grace  and  elegance  of  the  Louis  XV. 
style.  The  foliage,  flowers,  and  other  details  in  high  rehef 
appended  to  the  handles,  spouts,  and  covers  of  the  pieces,  are 
modelled  by  hand  with  no  mean  taste  and  ability.  Out  of  the  same 
marbled  clay  was  formed  the  body  of  vases,  basins  and  fountams 
of  large  dimensions ;  the  surface  being  afterwards  adorned  by 
the  application  of  figures,  masks,  and  garlands,  in  white  clay,! 
of  good  design  and  elaborate  workmanship. 

A  ware  of  the  same  kind  and  of  equal  excellence  was  made 
in  the  next  village  of  Castellet  by  Cesar  Moulin,  the  younger.       | 

In  1802  the  Apt  factory  was  in  the  possession  of  the  Avidow 
Arnoux ;  some  marbled  plates  in  the  Sevres  Museum  bear  that 
date  accompanied  with  the  mark  W.A. 

It  may  be  of  some  interest  to  know  that  L6on  Arnoux, 
for  fifty  years  director  of  Minton's  works,  was,  through  his  motlierj 


niOUSTIERS. 

Fig.    39. — HELMET-SHAPED   EWER,    DECORATED 
IN   BLUE. 
H.  10  in. 


APT.  95 

and  grandmother,  the  direct  descendant  of  the   Fouques  and 
the  Mouhns. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

Gay  (A.). — Histoire  du  village  de  Castellet-Ies-Leberon.      Forcalquier, 
1878.     8vo. 

BORDEAUX. 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  of  the  sum  total  of  ancient 
faience  showing  the  Berain  and  Toro  designs,  so  suggestive  of 
a  Moustiers  origin,  only  a  small  portion  can  have  been  made 
in  that  place.  When  the  style  was  most  in  fashion,  the 
Bordeaux  factory  adopted  it  readily,  and  now  its  unmarked 
and  ill-characterised  productions  are  naturally  placed  to  the 
credit  of  the  Provengal  potters.  Bordeaux  had,  however, 
some  importance  as  a  manufacturing  centre.  According  to 
the"Almanach  du  Commerce"  for  1779,  about  twenty  faience 
works  were,  at  that  time,  busy  in  the  town  or  the  immediate 
neighbourhood.  That  some  of  them  could  produce  a  ware 
much  above  the  ordinary  domestic  requirements,  is  amply 
testified  by  some  ornamental  examples  in  the  possession  of 
local  collectors,  the  genuineness  of  which  stands  beyond  doubt. 
Yet,  barring  these  few  exceptions,  the  Bordeaux  faience  seems 
to  have  completely  disappeared. 

In  17II,  there  was  in  the  city  a  penurious  potter,  named 
J.  Fautier,  who  possessed  a  fair  practical  knowledge  of  faience 
making ;  and  there  was  also  a  well-to-do  merchant  of  the  name 
of  Hustin,  who  lived  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  superabundance 
of  cash.  An  association  was  formed  between  capital  and  talent. 
The  consequence  is  easily  conjectured.  In  1714  we  find  that 
Hustin  had  come  out  as  a  notable  manufacturer,  protected  by  a 
privilege  by  which  the  sole  right  of  making  and  selling  painted 
faience  in  the  whole  district  was  secured  to  him  for  a  period 
of  15  years.     Of  Fautier,  nothing  more  w^as  ever  to  be  heard. 

Started  under  the  patronage  of  the  richest  inhabitants  of 
a    wealthy    province,    and    depending    upon    a    large    export 


96  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

trade  for  which  Bordeaux  offered  special  faciUties,  an  estab- 
lishment of  this  kind  was  bound  to  secure  success.  Hustin  died 
in  1749,  bequeathing  to  his  son  a  business  in  a  most  prosperous 
state,  and  a  large  fortune  that  his  profits  as  a  pottery  manu- 
facturer had  greatly  increased. 

Moustiers  having  supphed  the  greater  number  of  trained 
painters,  we  cannot  be  surprised  to  find  among  the  products 
of  Hustin's  factory  a  large  preponderance  of  Moustiers  patterns. 
The  ornate  table  ware  made  for  the  monasteries  of  the  Carmelites 
and  Carthusians  of  Bordeaux  and  Toulouse— the  emblazoned 
and  inscribed  specimens  of  which  are  now  dispersed  into  private 
collections— might  be  taken  for  Moustiers  faience  were  it  not 
that  the  glaze  is  somewhat  lacking  in  brilliance.  A  few  of  the 
workmen  had  come  from  Nevers  and  Kouen,  and  they  repeated 
the  stock  designs  of  those  two  centres.  The  influence  of 
Nevers  is  particularly  manifest  in  some  vases  of  extraordinary 
dimensions,  several  of  which  are  still  in  existence.  Great 
technical  ability  was  displayed  in  the  potting  of  these  huge 
pieces,  much  in  demand  at  the  time  for  the  embeUishment  of 
gardens  and  for  architectural  purposes;  some  of  them  stand 
from  three  to  four  feet  high.  A  curious  example  of  the 
apphcation  of  faience  to  the  adornment  of  pubhc  buildings 
is  still  to  be  seen  inserted  in  the  pediment  of  the  Bordeaux 
Exchange  Hall.  It  is  a  white  clock  dial,  painted  in  blue, 
composed  of  six  separate  sections  forming  together  a  circle 
fifteen  feet  in  diameter.  The  inscription  it  bears  tells  us  that 
it  was  made,  in  1750,  by  one  E.R.,  at  the  royal  factory  of  F. 
Hustin. 

Ferdinand  Hustin,  the  son  of  Jacques,  who  succeeded  his 
father  in  1749,  is  responsible  for  these  exceptional  pieces.  He 
lived  until  1770 ;  after  which  the  works  passed  into  the  pos- 
session of  Moneau,  a  painter  who  has  signed  with  his  name 
a  few  interesting  specimens. 

The  French  Revolution  brought  the  death-blow  to  the 
industry  of  painted  faience  at  Bordeaux ;    the  efibrts  made  to 


X! 


cr 

w 

o 

o 


movstiers. 

Fig.  40.— dish  decorated  in  blue. 

D.  20:',  in. 


BORDEAUX.  97 

revive  it  remained  without  effect.  But  the  manufacture  of 
English  earthenware,  introduced  by  D.  Johnson  towards  1830, 
and  continued  by  Viellard,  met  with  a  decided  and  long- 
maintained  success. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

AzAM  (Dr.). — Les  anciennes  faiences  de  Bordeaux.     Bordeaux,  1880. 
8vo. 

CLERMONT-FERRAND. 

In  the  lengthy  train  of  cognate  productions  which  Moustiers 
proudly  heads  like  a  lord,  the  rest  follow,  like  tardy  varlets 
parading  in  the  cast-off  finery  of  the  master.  Clermont- 
Ferrand  was  one  of  the  least  successful  imitators  of  the  Provencal 
ware;  the  designs  were  borrowed  from  the  same  source,  viz., 
the  engravings  of  Berain  and  Toro ;  but  the  likeness  did  not 
go  any  further ;  they  were  heavily  painted  upon  a  white  enamel 
of  very  inferior  quality. 

Two  workmen  from  Nevers  first  made  an  attempt  at  making 
and  painting  faience  ware  at  Clermont  in  1730.  Such  speci- 
mens as  may  be  attributed  to  them  are  badly  twisted  and 
crazed,  and  denote  a  very  imperfect  msmufacture.  Their 
enterprise  soon  came  to  an  end. 

Jouvenceau  d'Alagnat  made  a  better  start  in  1733;  he 
erected  a  suitable  building  for  his  factory,  engaged  a  batch  of 
experienced  operatives  from  Montpellier,  and  entrusted  the 
management  of  the  business  to  one  A.  Savignae.  A  curious 
statement  of  the  expenses,  which  amounted  annually  to  25,000 
livres,  gives  us  an  insight  into  the  wages  paid,  at  the  time, 
to  the  men  employed  in  the  industry.  The  director,  Savignae, 
received  1,100  livres;  the  painters  earned  from  400  to  500  livres; 
the  turners  700  livres  ;  only  one  pressor,  a  woman,  was  required ; 
she  got  120  livres  a  year.  In  the  appHcation  made  for  the  grant 
of  a  privilege  by  d'Alagnat,  in  1735,  the  ware  is  said  to  be 
made  "  in  the  manner  of  Montpelher  and  Moustiers,  with  the 

H 


98  FRENCH    FAIENCE. 

advantage  over  the  products  of  these  manufactories,  that  it 
never  cracks  or  crazes  in  hot  water."  This,  by-the-bye,  is  rather, 
an  unwarranted  pretension,  for  all  the  authenticated  pieces  of 
Clermont  manufacture  are  conspicuous  by  their  exceptional 
crazing.  Among  the  specimens  recorded  as  being  inscribed 
with  the  mark  clermont-ferrand,  may  be  mentioned: 
two  ewers  of  helmet  shape,  dated  1734  and  1736;  a  jug 
bearing  the  inscription :  "  convalescence  de  mr.  rossignol, 
INTEND  ANT  d'auvergne,  1738  " ;  all  decorated  in  the  Moustiers 
style;  and  a  bottle  painted  with  a  comical  subject  in  the 
Nevers  manner,  with  the  date  1740.  D'Alagnat  was  succeeded 
by  his  widow,  and  the  concern  came  to  an  end  in  1743. 

Faience  manufacture  was  resumed  in  the  town  in  1774  by  a 
company,  with  D.  Yerdier  as  director.  The  venture  lasted  only 
about  ten  years.  Pierre  Lauche  conducted  another  factory  at 
the  time  of  the  Revolution,  in  which  "  patriotic  faience "  was 
extensively  produced.  Some  of  his  best  pieces  bear  the 
monogram  P.L. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

CoHENDRY  (M.). — Ceramique  Arverne.    Clermont-Ferrand,  1872.    4to. 

Du  Fraisse  de  Yernines.  —  Parallele  des  ouvrages  de  poterie 
D'Auvergne,  anciens  et  modernes.    Paris,  1874.     12 mo  (reprint). 

Grange  (G.). — Histoire  de  la  manufacture  de  faience  de  Clermont- 
Ferrand.     Clermont-Ferrand,  1882.     4to. 


TOULOUSE. 

Several  specimens  are  known  which  are  inscribed  with,  the 
name  of  Toulouse  ;  one  of  them  is  signed  by  the  maker : 
"Laurens  Basso,  a  Toulouza,  1756."  They  are  painted  in  the 
.st^le  of  Moustiers.  Of  the  existence  of  a  faience  factory  at  that 
time  there  is,  however,  no  authentic  record.  With  the  pottery 
works  established  during  the  first  part  of  the  nineteenth 
century  we  have  no  concern  here. 


Fig.   41. — EWEK    AND    BASIN    IN     MARBLED    CLAYS. 
BY   MOULIN. 
H.  14  in. 


MONTPELLIER.  99 

MONTPELLIER. 

The  little  we  know  about  tlie  Montpellier  faience  works  shows 
that  it  was  closely  related  to  Moustiers  and  Marseilles.  Olivier, 
the  first  manufacturer  said  to  have  been  established  in  the 
town,  petitioned  in  1717  to  obtain  the  exclusive  right  to  sell 
painted  faience  in  the  region ;  a  favour  which  was  not  granted _ 
From  the  fact  that  the  title  of  Royal  manufactory  was  conferred 
upon  his  works  in  1729,  we  may  infer  that  they  were  of  some 
importance.  It  is  not  probable,  however,  that  he  produced 
anything  better  than  articles  of  common  use.  Not  one  piece 
of  Olivier  manufacture  has  ever  been  authenticated.  The 
same  may  be  said  of  the  ware  of  his  successor,  Andre  PhiHppe  ; 
no  specimen  of  it  can  be  safely  discriminated  from  the  faience 
of  Marseilles,  which  he  is  known  to  have  imitated.  In  the 
absence  of  any  mark  or  inscription  the  case  is  absolutely 
hopeless. 

NARBONNE. 

In  the  Franks  collection,  in  the  British  Museum,  is  a  small 
dish  painted  with  metallic  lustre  attributed  to  Narbonne. 
DaviUier  has  traced  the  existence  in  that  town  of  a  factory 
founded  by  the  Moors  in  the  sixteenth  century.  Metallic  lustre 
was  not  made  in  France  at  any  other  place,  and  we  scarcely 
need  say  that  examples  of  the  Narbonne  ware  are  not  com- 
monly met  with.  The  one  just  referred  to  is  of  extreme  rarity 
and  great  historical  interest. 

SAMA13ET. 

A  glance  at  the  topography  of  faience  manufacture  during 
the  eighteenth  century  discloses  that  there  was  not  one  region  in 
the  whole  kingdom  of  France  which  did  not  possess  its  own 
centre  of  production.  The  taste  for  gaudily-painted  vessels  had 
spread  even  among  the  poorer  classes.     The  fancy  ware  might 


100  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

be  modest  enough,  but  the  colours  had  to  be  gay  and  pleasant 
to  the  eye,  and  the  subjects  calculated  to  attract  attention.  The 
South-East  was  amply  supplied  by  the  factories  of  Moustiers, 
Marseilles,  and  their  branches.  Samadet,  Giroussens,  and 
Auch  provided  with  cheap  faience  the  poorer  provinces  of  the 
South-West. 

I  do  not  remember  ever  to  have  seen  in  general  collections 
a  single  remarkable  specimen  labelled  Samadet ;  but  there  are 
local  collectors  who  may  resent  my  describing  it  as  "  cheap 
faience,"  for  they  will  confidently  assert  that  many  of  the  genuine 
examples  in  their  possession  are  as  fine  as  the  best  Moustiers. 

The  small  village  of  Samadet  stands  in  the  less  unfertile 
portion  of  the  barren  Department  of  the  Landes.  A  faience 
factory  was  established  in  the  place  by  Abbe  Maurice  de 
Koquepine,  a  younger  son  of  the  marquis  of  that  name.  What 
were  the  circumstances  which  induced  an  ecclesiastical  dignitary 
to  meddle  with  faience-making  and  build  the  works  on  his 
estates  has  never  been  ascertained.  The  success  of  his  enterprise 
shows,  however,  that  he  had  good  business  capacities.  In  1732 
Abbe  de  Roquepine  obtained  letters-patent  conferring  upon  his 
establishment  the  usual  privileges  for  twenty  years,  together 
with  the  title  of  Royal  manufactory.  During  the  course  of  this 
privilege,  affairs  had  been  sufficiently  prosperous  to  warrant  an 
application  for  a  renewal.  The  conditions  of  manufacture  reached 
their  highest  level  at  that  moment.  A  variety  of  articles,  such 
as  jugs,  tureens,  cruet-stands,  perforated  baskets,  fountains,  and 
basins,  were  steadily  produced  for  the  regular  trade.  They  were 
all  decorated  in  a  commonplace  manner.  A  limited  stock  of 
tracings  or  "  poncifs"  was  used  by  the  painters;  the  same  subjects 
doing  duty  on  all  possible  pieces.  The  presence  of  certain 
bouquets  of  flowers  is  so  frequent  that  it  suffices  to  certify  the 
origin  of  the  specimen.  Coarse  reproductions  of  the  caricature 
figures  of  Callot  were  not  forgotten.  As  at  Moustiers,  they 
were  painted  in  green  or  yellow  camaieu.  Remnants  of 
armorial  services  known  to  have  been  made  at  Samadet  have 


LA    ROCHELLE. 

Fig.    42. — JARDINIERE    IN   THE    STRASBURG   STYLE. 
L.  7  m.     (Seep.VIl.) 


BORDEAUX. 

Fig.  43. — COOLING     cistern     in    polychrome  : 

WITH  THE  ARMS  OF  F.  ESCOUBLEAU 
DE  SOURDIS,  ARCHBISHOP,  AND  OF 
ANTOINE  DE  GtASCQ,  PRESIDENT  OF 
THE  PARLIAMENT  OF  BORDEAUX. 
INSCRIBED:  CARTUS  BURDIG. 
H.  lOin.     {Seep.  96.) 


SAMADET.  101 

been  picked  up  by  the  collector.  But  the  presentation  piece, 
the  humble  chef  d'oeuvre,  in  the  elaboration  of  which  a  skilful 
craftsman  has  tried  to  surpass  himself,  and  which  is  of  so  much 
interest  in  connection  with  the  history  of  ancient  faience,  is 
altogether  wanting. 

Louis  d'Astorg,  Comte  de  Brabazan,  inherited  the  factory 
from  his  uncle  Abbe  de  Roquepine  in  1774.  But  the  leading 
spirit  was  gone ;  under  the  management  of  the  ordinary  foreman 
who  took  charge  of  the  works,  the  making  of  painted  articles 
was  gradually  given  up ;  when  they  were  closed  in  1832,  nothing 
had  been  manufactured  for  many  years  but  the  lowest  de- 
scription of  village  crockery. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

Tarbouriech, — Documents  sur  quelques  faienceries  du  Sud-Ouest  de 

la  France.     Paris,  1864.     12mo. 

Sorbets  (L.). — Faienceries  de  Samadet.  Dax,  1895.     8vo. 
BiEUX  (E.). — Les  poteries  de  Giroussens.     Albi,  1901.     8vo. 


CLERMONT-FERRAND. 

Fig.    44. — JUG   INSCRIBED  AND   DATED    1738. 
H.  9  in. 


VII. 

STRASBURG. 

NIDERVILLER — LUNEVILLE  AND   SAINT- CLEMENT— BELLE VUE  near 
TOUL— MARSEILLES— LA  ROCHELLE— SCEAUX— APREY. 


STRASBURG. 

Neither  the  constitutive  material  of  a  faience  piece,  nor  the 
form  that  it  affects,  can  be  taken,  as  a  rule,  as  affording  a  sure 
indication  of  its  date  and  origin.  But  let  it  be  completed  with 
a  surface  decoration,  and  we  are  at  once  enabled  to  form  a 
correct  estimate  of  the  place,  and  even  the  period,  to  which  the 
piece  is  likely  to  belong.  Thus,  a  plain  pot  of  Strasburg  white 
faience  may  be  similar  in  all  points  to  many  a  white  pot 
manufactured  in  any  country ;  on  the  other  hand,  if  it  is 
decorated  with  reliefs  or  paintings  in  the  stjde  known  to  have 
originated  in  that  jolace,  the  same  article  can  no  longer  be  con- 
founded with  anything  that  has  been  produced  elsewhere.  For 
this  we  may  give  credit  to  the  Strasburg  potter ;  his  painted 
ware  was  a  bold  departure  from  the  established  taste,  and  the 
collector  may  now  recognise  the  work  that  can  be  attributed  to 
him,  or  to  his  school,  without  hesitation. 

From  very  early  times  common  pottery  was  made  in  and 
around  the  capital  of  Alsace.  The  making  of  the  ornamental 
earthenware  stoves,  which  formed  a  necessary  appurtenance  of 
all  German  households  ever  since  the  fifteenth  century,  in  itself 
caused  a  good  number  of  experienced  and  talented  potters  to  be 
permanently  occupied  in  the  town.  To  this  ready  supply  of 
well-trained  hands,  Carl  Francis  Hannong  owed  the  means  of 
establishing,  with  some  facilitj^,  a  manufactory  of  tobacco  pipes 
and  earthenware  stoves,  when  he  arrived  from  Mayence  in  1709. 
A  few  3^ears  of  active  and  honest  exertion  developed  the  enter- 
prise into  a  large  concern.  Hannong's  character  and  abiUties 
were  so  highly  considered  that  in  1718  he  was  elected  a  master 
of  the  united  Corporation  of  the  Builders  and  Potters,  and  a  few 
years  afterwards  made  a  member  of  the  LoAver  Senate. 


106  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

It  IS  not  probable  that  Hannong  manufactured  any  faience 
with  stanniferous  enamel  before  1721.  In  that  year  he  entered 
into  an  agreement  with  one  Wackenfeld,  who  had  acquired  some 
experience  in  a  German  factory,  and  who  undertook  to  begin 
operations  at  once.  The  manufacture  of  tobacco-pipes  was 
given  up  altogether,  and  replaced  by  that  of  white  faience. 
Wackenfeld  was  a  deserter  from  Meissen,  and  he  pretended  to 
have  learned  there  the  whole  secret  of  porcelain  making.  On 
that  representation  he  had  obtained,  two  years  previously, 
pecuniary  assistance  from  the  civic  magistrates  to  build  an 
oven  and  conduct  preliminary  experiments  on  the  clays  of  the 
district ;  but  the  experiments  remained  fruitless  so  far,  at  least, 
as  porcelain  was  concerned.  The  town  refused  to  maintain  the 
subsidy.  At  this  juncture,  Hannong,  who  had  been  able  to 
judge  of  the  man's  capabilities,  engaged  him,  not  as  a  porcelain 
but  as  a  faience  maker.  They  worked  only  for  one  year  in 
association,  but  at  the  end  of  that  time,  Wackenfeld  having  been 
dismissed,  the  manufacture  of  faience  was  firmly  established, 
and  the  works  in  full  activity.  Most  of  the  painters 
employed  by  Hannong  had  come  from  the  faience  factory  of 
Hochst,  then  conducted  by  Gelz  with  great  success. 

The  Strasburg  premises  soon  proved  insufficient  to  cope  with 
the  constant  increase  of  business ;  another  factory  was  started  in 
1724  at  Haguenau,  where  excellent  clays  and  sand  could  be 
obtained  on  the  spot.  Faience  of  the  same  description  was  made 
in  both  places ;  but  the  few  specimens  of  Haguenau  ware  that  have 
been  identified  do  not  give  one  a  very  high  opinion  of  its  quality. 
The  glaze  is  full  of  specks  and  minute  holes,  thin,  and  of  a 
greyish  tint.  The  decoration  consists  chiefly  in  stiff  and 
ungainly  flowers  painted  in  blue  under  the  glaze.  A  few  pieces 
are  marked  with  two  crossed  tobacco-pipes,  as  a  recollection  of 
the  original  trade  carried  on  in  the  place. 

Carl  Francis  Hannong,  unable  to  bear  any  longer  the  burden 
of  two  busy  factories,  disposed  of  them,  in  1732,  in  favour  of  his 
two  sons,  Paul-Antoine  and  Balthasar,  against  an  annuity  to  bo 


PLATE    XX. 

STRASBURG. 

Clock  and   Stand 

(By  Paul  Hannong.) 

,  3  f t.  9  in. 

{See  p.  108.) 


STRASBURG.  107 

paid  to  him  till  the  end  of  his  life.  He  died  in  1739,  in  his 
seventieth  year. 

The  two  factories  were  at  first  conducted  as  a  joint  concern. 
In  1737,  however,  the  brothers  separated ;  Paul-Antoine  taking 
the  Strasburg  factory  as  his  share,  and  Balthasar  that  of 
Haguenau. 

Paul  Hannong  brought  the  Strasburg  manufacture  to 
the  highest  degree  of  excellence  it  was  ever  to  reach.  Fully 
conversant  with  the  practical  part  of  the  trade,  and  gifted  with 
great  artistic  taste,  he  was,  moreover,  a  business  man  of 
prodigious  activity.  He  filled  all  the  public  functions  that  his 
father  had  occupied  ;  his  works  were  considerably  enlarged,  and 
he  added  to  them  a  special  factory  of  faience  stoves ;  he  brought 
to  a  successful  end  the  researches  that  his  father  had  vainly 
prosecuted  for  the  manufacture  of  true  porcelain;  lastly,  the 
town  council,  having  reduced  the  regulation  size  of  the  roofing 
tiles  employed  by  the  builders,  he  obtained  a  monopoly  for  their 
manufacture  and  supply. 

It  is,  however,  on  the  score  of  the  improvements  he  intro- 
duced in  the  art  of  faience  painting  that  Paul  Hannong  has  his 
place  marked  in  ceramic  history.  His  ware,  which  usually 
bears  the  mark  P.H.,  is  remarkable  for  its  uncommon  lightness 
of  substance  and  neatness  of  treatment.  The  glaze  is  smooth, 
shiny,  and  milky  white.  By  painting  the  decoration  over 
the  glaze,  and  firing  it  in  a  "  Eeverbere  "  kiln,  he  was  enabled  to 
make  use  of  the  purples  and  pinks,  and  of  many  other  briUiant 
colours  not  available  under  the  old  system.  The  transparent 
enamels  could  reach  the  point  of  vitrification  upon  the  surface 
without  running  into  each  other,  and  the  black  outhne  T\dth 
which  the  subjects  were  traced  preserved  the  sharpness  of  a  pen- 
stroke.  The  application  of  gilding  upon  faience  was  practised 
by  him  for  the  first  time.  When  King  Louis  XV.  visited  the 
town  of  Strasburg,  in  1744,  Hannong  obtained  permission  to 
present  to  his  Majesty  a  selection  of  his  products,  and 
especially  of  his  newly-invented  gilt  faience. 


108  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

The  variety  of  goods  manufactured  at  that  moment  was 
considerable  ;  it  comprised  richly  ornamented  articles  as  well  as 
current  domestic  ware.  A  new  fashion  of  faience  stoves, 
modelled  by  talented  sculptors  in  the  rococo  taste,  and  grace- 
fully decorated  with  overglaze  painting  of  flowers  and  trophies, 
had  replaced  the  embossed  panels,  glazed  in  green  or  brown, 
used  in  their  construction  since  the  time  of  the  Kenaissance. 
Some  of  these  huge  but  elegant  stoves,  still  preserved  in  the 
"  schlosses  "  of  the  province,  are  masterpieces  of  the  ceramic  art- 
Timepieces  and  brackets  of  large  dimensions,  elaborately  completed 
with  gold  and  colour  decoration,  were  produced  at  the  same  period. 

Gradually  the  Strasburg  faience  was  assuming  a  closer 
likeness  to  German  porcelain,  at  least  in  its  outward  appearance ; 
the  substitution  of  the  Meissen  patterns  for  any  other  mode  of 
decoration  was  fully  accomplished  towards  1748.  In  the 
Dresden  museum  may  be  seen  some  remarkable  specimens  of 
the  armorial  services  painted  in  that  style  at  a  great  cost,  for 
the  nobility  of  France  and  Germany. 

With  the  establishment  of  porcelain  manufacture  at  Stras- 
burg this  account  has  little  concern,  beyond  relating  how  it 
happened  that  Hannong's  success  in  that  direction  gave  rise  to 
ruinous  litigations,  which  put  an  end  to  his  career  as  a  faience 
manufacturer.  Years  had  been  spent,  from  the  days  of  his  father, 
in  trying  to  improve  an  artificial  paste,  combining  a  vitreous 
grit  with  the  white  clay  of  Oberzell,  a  compound  which  had  never 
given  a  satisfactory  result.  At  last,  in  1750,  Hannong  secured 
the  services  of  two  potters  and  painters  from  Meissen  named 
Lowenfinck  and  G.  J.  Eoth,  and  also,  it  is  said,  of  the  famous 
Ringler,  the  very  man  who  had  taken  a  leading  part  in  the 
foundation  of  the  Vienna  and  Hochst  manufactories.  With 
the  united  assistance  of  these  thoroughly  practical  and  long- 
experienced  men  the  manufacture  of  a  true  porcelain,  as  fine 
as  any  made  in  Germany,  was  from  that  moment  firmly 
established  and  successfully  carried  on  in  the  spacious  building 
just  erected  for  that  purpose. 


,1  f^ « 

W      K     r5 

M      >  - 


M     ^ 

<      - 

I 


STRASBURG.  109 

So  rapid  had  been  the  rise  and  extension  of  the  enterprise, 
so  widespread  was  the  sale  of  the  products,  that  two  years  had 
scarcely  elapsed  when  the  royal  manufactory  of  Vincennes 
became  alarmed  at  the  consequences  that  would  ensue  if  such 
a  dangerous  competition  was  suffered  to  exist.  Protected  by 
royal  letters-patent,  which  secured  to  them  the  monopoly  of 
making  porcelain  in  the  whole  kingdom,  the  directors  of 
Vincennes  denounced  the  Strasburg  factory  as  a  flagrant  in- 
fringement of  their  privilege.  In  vain  Paul  Hannong  repau-ed 
to  Paris  and  tried  to  ward  off'  this  terrible  blow.  All  efforts  were 
unavailing;  a  decree  was  obtained  against  him  in  1754,  which 
not  only  interdicted  all  further  manufacture  of  porcelain  in  the 
place,  but  ordered,  besides,  that  the  ovens  should  be  destroyed 
within  a  fortnight. 

The  practical  experience  that  Hannong  had  acquired  during 
the  few  3^ears  that  his  porcelain  works  had  been  in  operation 
was  not  to  be  fruitless.  Without  loss  of  time  he  left  Strasburg 
for  Frankenthal  in  the  Palatinate,  and  there,  under  the  coun- 
tenance and  financial  support  of  the  Elector,  Charles-Theodore, 
he  established  in  1755  a  manufactory  which  took  rank  almost 
immediately  among  the  most  important  in  the  Empire. 

At  the  death  of  Paul-Antoine  Hannong,  which  occurred 
in  1760,  his  second  son,  Pierre- Antoine,  entered  into  possession 
of  the  two  factories  of  Strasburg  and  Haguenau,  much  neglected 
during  the  troubled  times  the  old  master  had  had  to  go 
through.  Pierre  Hannong  had  not  inherited  his  father's  energy 
and  business  capabilities.  Feeling  himself  unequal  to  the  task 
of  struggling  against  pressing  embarrassments,  he  entrusted 
the  management  of  both  his  establishments  to  the  care  of 
Lowenfinck's  widow.  Finally  he  sold  all  his  interest  in  the 
concern  to  his  elder  brother,  Joseph- Adam,  who  had  just 
retired  from  Frankenthal. 

In  1766  we  find  Pierre  Hannong  settled  at  Vincennes,  and 
starting  a  factory,  where,  under  the  pretence  of  making  faience 
after  the  Strasburg  manner,  he  was  stealthily  producing  common 


110  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

porcelain.  The  attempt  came  to  an  end  after  four  years  of 
abortive  trials.  Once  more  lie  resumed  the  manufacture  of 
porcelain  in  the  Rue  Saint-Denis  at  Paris,  in  1773 ;  but  his 
partner,  dissatisfied  with  his  management,  soon  obhged  him 
to  relinquish  all  connection  with  the  enterprise.  After  his 
departure,  the  factory,  conducted  under  the  patronage  of  the 
Comte  D'Artois,  entered  on  a  short  period  of  brilliant  prosperity. 
The  last  we  hear  of  Pierre  Hannong  is  his  appointment  by  the 
revolutionary  government  of  1793  to  the  post  of  Director  of  the 
National  Manufactory  of  Sevres.  It  does  not  appear,  however, 
that  he  actually  assumed  that  office,  and  he  died  in  the  same 
year. 

In  the  hands  of  Joseph-Adam  Hannong  the  Alsatian  faience 
factories  had  regained  something  of  their  former  activity  under 
somewhat  altered  conditions.  Excellence  of  manufacture  had 
then  made  way  for  cheapness  of  cost  and  an  increase  of  produc- 
tion. But  troubles  were  forthcoming  with  which  the  manufacturer 
found  himself  powerless  to  contend.  Strasburg,  a  free  town 
before  its  annexation  to  France,  was  in  some  respects  reputed 
to  stand  in  a  foreign  country.  The  royal  farmers  of  customs 
duties,  disregarding  long  established  covenants,  thought  it 
expedient  to  raise  the  taxes,  theretofore  charged  upon  the 
goods  introduced  into  France,  to  such  a  high  scale  that  inter- 
national trade  was  threatened  with  complete  extinction.  While 
Hannong,  in  concert  with  the  other  potters  of  the  northern 
provinces,  was  moving  heaven  and  earth  to  obtain  the  repeal 
of  these  inequitable  taxes,  his  financial  situation  was  going 
from  bad  to  worse.  Business  was  at  a  standstill ;  ho  was 
manufacturing  at  a  loss,  depending  on  the  influence  and 
support  of  his  patrons,  the  Princes  de  Rohan,  to  tide  over  the 
passing  difficulties,  and  confident  of  being  soon  able  to  retrieve 
his  fortunes.  But  the  farmers  could  not  be  made  to  yield  one 
jot  of  their  pretensions.  Cardinal  Constantin  de  Rohan,  who 
had  most  liberally  assisted  Hannong  in  his  predicament,  died  in 
1779.     His  heirs  claimed  payment  of  the  heavy  sums  the  manu- 


PLATE    XXI. 
STRASBURG. 

Plate  Painted  in  the  Dresden  Style. 

D.  11  in. 

{Seep.  108.): 


0     -J 


<   1 

w     - 


STRASBURG.  Ill 

facturer  had  borrowed  at  frequent  intervals  from  the  treasury  of 
the  Strasburg  bishopric.  Unable  to  satisfy  the  demand,  the 
debtor  was  thrown  into  a  military  prison,  where  he  remained 
in  confinement  for  a  whole  year.  When  released  Joseph 
Hannong  made  superhuman  efforts  to  resume  business  and 
repay  his  creditors.  But  it  was  too  late ;  he  could  obtain  no 
assistance  from  his  fellow  townsmen,  who  had  lost  all  confidence 
in  him.  He  fell  into  bankruptcy,  and  his  factories  were  sold 
with  all  their  contents  in  spite  of  his  protestations.  The 
numerous  and  lengthy  memoirs  addressed  to  the  Government, 
to  the  King,  and  to  the  Cardinal  Louis  de  Kohan,  in  which 
he  exposed  his  grievances,  and  copies  of  which  were  scattered 
broadcast,  are  of  immense  interest  for  the  light  they  throw 
upon  the  conditions  under  which  the  ceramic  industry  was 
carried  on  at  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century. 

The  Strasburg  works  were  never  re-opened.  Pierre  Hannong, 
who  had  purchased  the  plant  and  models,  transported  them  to 
Haguenau,  where  he  worked,  in  association  with  one  X.  Hallez, 
until  1786.  His  brother  Joseph  returned  to  Paris,  and  subse- 
quently settled  in  Munich.     He  died  in  1800. 

So  numerous  was  the  Hannong  family  that  confusion  is  apt 
to  arise  when  dealing  with  some  of  its  members.  Paul  Hannong 
alone  had  fifteen  children,  all  of  them  connected  more  or  less 
closely  with  the  pottery  trade  of  the  North  of  Europe.  The 
last  representative  of  the  name  was  buried  at  Haguenau  in 
1889.  Up  to  the  last  day  of  his  life  he  was  busy  painting 
faience  plates. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

Tainturier    (A.). — Recherches    sur   les    anciennes   manufactures    de 

porcelain  et  de  faience  d'AIsace  et  de  Lorraine.      Sti\asburg, 

1868.  8vo. 
Gerspach. — La   faience  et  la   porcelaine   de   Strasburg.      Strasburg, 

1883.  8vo. 
Gerspach. — Documents  sur  les  anciennes  faienceries  Frangaises.    Paris, 

1891.     8vo. 


112  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

NIDERVILLEK 

Although  derived  directly  from  Strasburg,  the  factory  of 
Niderviller  slightly  differed  from  its  prototype  by  the  higher 
standard  of  elegance  and  refined  simplicity  it  adopted  and 
always  maintained  in  its  productions.  This  was  partly  due  to 
the  social  position  of  the  man  who  presided  over  the  foundation 
of  the  works,  and  to  the  cultivated  taste  of  his  wife,  who  took 
pride  in  assisting  in  the  artistic  management. 

Baron  de  Beyerle,  director  and  treasurer  of  the  Strasburg 
Mint,  instigated  by  the  success  of  Hannong's  enterprise,  resolved 
to  embark  on  the  manufacture  of  faience.  This  was  more  a 
labour  of  love  than  a  mere  business  speculation  on  the  part  of 
the  Baron.  Bent  on  taking  an  active  part  in  the  execution  of 
his  project,  he  left  to  no  one  else  but  himself  the  care  of 
preparing  the  plans  and  superintending  the  building  of  the 
factory.  All  was  ready  to  commence  work  in  1754.  He  himself 
selected  the  working  staff  from  among  the  best  painters  and 
operators  he  found  wilhng  to  leave  Hannong's  employment  to 
enter  his  own.  Lady  Beyerle,  an  artist  of  no  mean  talent,  not 
only  supplied  sketches  and  models  to  the  common  decorators, 
but  also  painted  some  of  the  best  pieces  with  her  own  hand 
Anstett,  a  colour-maker  of  great  experience,  was  made  chemist 
and  assistant  director. 

All  efforts  were  directed  towards  the  production  of  exceptional 
table  services.  The  distmguished  character  of  the  shapes,  inspired 
from  the  best  works  of  the  silversmith,  the  precious  finish  of  the 
painted  decoration,  which  equals  that  of  the  Saxon  porcelain, 
make  so  many  works  of  art  of  all  the  specimens  entering  into  the 
composition  of  these  services.  In  the  ceramic  collections  many 
odd  plates,  enamelled  with  flowers,  or  painted  with  pleasant 
landscapes  after  the  Dutch  masters,  figure  with  honour.  The 
Nidcrviiior  faience  is  amply  represented  in  the  Nancy  Museum. 
There  arc  now  deposited  the  vessels  once  adorning  the  pharmacy 
of  the  Saint-Charles  Hospital.      They  comprise  two  largo  orna- 


U     2; 


>    5  - 


NIDERVILLER.  113 

mental  vases,  and  several  sets  of  smaller  vases  and  drug-pots  of 
various  shapes  and  decoration,  amounting  together  to  234  in 
number.  The  large  vases,  richly  ornamented  in  the  rocaille  style, 
bear  the  royal  arms  of  Stanislas,  Duke  of  Lorraine  and  King  of 
Poland.  They  are  3  feet  6  inches  in  height.  The  other  pieces 
are  decorated  in  a  scheme  of  colour  in  which  purple  and  pink 
largely  predominate,  or  in  plain  blue. 

Hardly  any  modification  had  to  be  brought  into  the  cur- 
rent mode  of  decoration  when,  in  1768,  the  manufacture  of  hard 
porcelain  was  introduced,  the  same  artists  painting  either  faience 
or  porcelain  in  a  similar  style. 

General  Count  Custine,  another  aristocratic  personage,  suc- 
ceeded to  Baron  de  Beyerle  as  proprietor  of  the  works  in  1780. 
He  appointed  F.  Lanfrey,  a  clever  manufacturer,  to  act  as  practical 
director.  A  better  man  could  not  have  been  selected.  Lanfrey 
introduced  great  improvements  in  all  the  existing  branches 
of  manufacture,  and  added  to  them  the  making  of  earthenware 
after  the  English  fashion,  an  innovation  which  proved  a  source 
of  success  and  profit.  Through  his  mediation  the  sculptor 
Lemire  left  Luneville  and  came  to  Niderviller,  where  he  worked 
until  1808,  modelling  exquisite  groups  and  figures  for  production 
in  enamelled  faience,  as  well  as  in  porcelain  biscuit.  Owing 
to  the  judicious  and  prudent  management  of  Lanfrey,  the  factory 
under  his  care  traversed  in  safety  the  stormy  period  of  the 
Revolution,  which  carried  away  so  many  establishments  of  the 
same  order.  He  purchased  the  whole  property  in  1801,  and 
directed  the  manufacture  until  his  death. 

The  Avare  made  in  the  times  of  Beyerle  is  seldom  marked. 
Various  combinations  of  the  initials  A.  B.  or  B.  K  are,  however, 
found  on  some  specimens.  Under  the  ownership  of  Count 
Custine  the  production  was,  on  the  contrary,  always  marked 
with  two  C's,  sometimes  surmounted  by  a  coronet.  The 
name  of  Niderviller  is  frequently  seen  stamped  on  the  biscuit 
pieces. 


in  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

AuGiN. — Exposition  retrospective  de  Nancy.     Nancy,  1875.     8vo. 

LUNEVILLE  and  SAINT-CLEMENT. 

Within  a  few  years  the  provinces  of  Alsace  and  Lorraine 
liad  become  a  busy  nest  of  faience  factories.  That  of  Luneville 
was  one  of  the  most  important.  There,  as  indeed  in  all  the 
other  places,  the  guiding  rule  was  to  imitate  Strasburg;  the 
purpose,  to  snatch  a  portion  of  its  prosperous  trade.  The  first 
manufactory  was  established  at  Luneville  by  Jacques  Chambrette 
in  1731.  His  fast  mcreasing  business  was  soon  ill  at  ease  in  the 
original  building,  and  another,  of  much  larger  proportions,  in 
which  faience,  porcelain,  and  English  earthenware  were  to  be 
conjointly  made,  was  erected  in  1748.  These  two  works  still 
proving  insufficient,  a  branch  establishment  was  built  in  the 
neighbouring  town  of  Saint-Clement  in  1757.  J.  Chambrette 
died  the  year  after  the  opening  of  the  Saint-Clement  factory. 
He  was  an  intelligent  and  energetic  manufacturer,  worthy,  on 
all  accounts,  of  the  patronage  that  the  Dukes  of  Lorraine  had 
extended  to  his  industry.  This  patronage  was  continued  by 
Duke  Stanislas  to  the  heirs  and  successors  of  Chambrette. 
But  the  father's  business  capabilities  had  not  descended  upon 
the  sons;  the  state  of  affairs  declined  rapidly  under  their 
management.  Gabriel  Chambrette  retired  in  1772,  and  his 
brother-in-law,  Loyal,  remained  in  possession.  At  that  time 
Chambrette  &  Co.  owned  another  factory  at  Moyen,  in  the 
same  district.  In  1786,  the  Luneville  factory  Avas  purchased  by 
S.  Keller,  grandfather  of  the  present  proprietor. 

The  stanniferous  faience  made  at  Luneville  and  Saint- 
Clement  remained  always  very  inferior  to  the  types  they  proposed 
to  imitate.  It  is  heavy  and  coarse  and  poorly  decorated.  A 
curious  speciality  of  the  first-named  works  were  the  huge  dogs 
and  lions  which  had  been  adopted  by  all  faience  and  porcelain 
dealers  in  Franco  as  a  trade  sign.   The  same  nondescript  animals 


PLATE    XXII. 

NIDERVILLBR. 

Compotier,  Shell-Shaped. 

I  in.     D.  8 

{See  p.  U2.) 


NIDERVILLER. 

Fig.  49. — coffee-pot  painted  in  imitation  op 
pine- wood.    signed  :  kieian  pinxit 
de,  1764. 
H.  21|  in. 


LUNEVILLE  AND    SAINT-CLEMENT.  115 

figured  as  an  arcliitectural  ornament  on  eacli  side  of  the  entrance 
gate  of  many  chateaux  and  private  dwellings.  The  earthenware, 
glazed  with  lead,  showed  a  more  skilful  treatment.  But  it  is  in 
the  biscuit  groups,  figures,  and  busts,  made  of  a  local  white  clay, 
neither  earthenware  nor  porcelain,  and  generally  stamped  with 
the  impressed  mark,  "  Terre  de  Lorraine,"  that  we  find  a  style 
of  production  of  really  superior  character.  Guibal,  sculptor  to 
the  King  of  Poland  ;  CyfHe,  his  pupil,  particularly  happy  in  the 
modelling  of  humorous  and  popular  subjects;  and  Lemire, 
whose  talent,  of  a  more  refined  trend,  has  already  been  praised 
in  the  foregoing  article,  supplied  the  models. 

Their  work  was  also  executed  in  painted  faience.  Keplicas  of 
the  best  figures  have  practically  never  ceased  to  be  produced ; 
the  moulds  being  still  extant  at  the  factories.  The  "  Cobbler  "  and 
the  "  Darning  Girl "  of  Cyffle,  for  instance,  are  still  abundantly 
found  in  the  trade.  But  the  modern  copies  have  none  of  the 
sharpness  and  finish  of  the  old  specimens,  and  collectors  run  no 
risk  of  being  deceived  by  such  clumsy  imitations. 

BIBLIOGEAPHY. 

JoLY  (A.).— Paul-Louis  Cyffle.     Nancy,  1864.     8vo. 

MoEEY  (P.). — Les  statuettes  dites  de  Terre   de   Lorraine.       Nancy, 

1871.     8vo. 
WiEN,ER  (L.). — Manufacture  de  Saint-Clement.     Nancy,  1878.     8vo. 

BELLEVUE   near  TOUL. 

Charles  Bayard,  formerly  director  of  the  Luneville  factory,  and 
Fran9ois  Boyer,  described  as  an  artist  in  fa'iencerie,  purchased  in 
1771  the  works  occupied  at  Bellevue  (Meurthe)  by  one  Lefran- 
9ois  since  1758.  They  made  enamelled  faience  decorated  in  the 
Strasburg  style;  they  developed  the  manufacture  of  white 
earthenware,  and  produced  a  considerable  quantity  of  biscuit 
groups  and  figures,  after  the  models  of  Cyfile  and  other  sculptors 
of  the  time.      The  title  of  Koyal  manufactory  was  gi-anted  to 


116  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

their  establishment ;  but  they  kept  it  only  for  a  few  years. 
Bayard  and  his  son,  having  separated  from  Boyer,  started 
another  factory  at  Tonl,  in  which  work  was  conducted  on  the 
same  lines  as  at  Bellevue.  The  ware  of  neither  place  was  ever 
marked. 

A  price  list  of  the  groups  and  statuettes,  which  include  the 
life-size  figures  in  painted  terra-cotta  so  popular  for  the  adorn- 
ments of  gardens,  was  published  by  Ch.  Bayard.  Copies  of  it  are 
still  in  existence. 

The  names  of  the  following  factories  may  be  added  to  the 
list  of  those  which  existed  in  Alsace  and  Lorraine  during  the 
eighteenth  century : 

Epinal  (Yosges).— Kambervillers  (Meurthe),  of  both  of  which 
particulars  are  missing.  —  Audun-le-Tiche  (Meurthe),  by  Fr. 
Boch,  in  1748 ;  the  cradle  of  mighty  estabhshments  of  ceramic 
industry. —Nancy,  by  Nicolas  Belong,  in  1774;  in  that  factory 
the  sculptor  Clodion  executed  many  of  his  charming  terra-cotta 
figures. — Montigny  (Meurthe),  which  had  two  factories  belonging 
to  Monsuy  Pierrot  and  F.  Cartier. — Yaucouleurs,  started  as  a 
competitor  to  the  foregoing,  by  Girault  de  Brinqueville,  in  1738, 
— Thionville,  mentioned  as  being  at  work  in  175G. — Les  Islettes, 
in  1737. — Sarreguemines,  by  P.  Utzschneider,  in  1770,  etc. 

MARSEILLES. 

Marseilles  should  belong  to  the  Moustiers  group,  not  only 
by  its  geographical  situation,  but  also  by  the  character  of  its 
earlier  productions.  However,  as  the  Marseilles  faience  did  not 
emerge  from  the  common  run  of  southern  domestic  ware  before 
it  affected  the  late  method  of  over-glaze  decoration  which  was 
appropriated  with  suitable  modifications,  it  is  classed,  in  the 
collections,  among:  the  works  of  the  Strasburg  school. 

A  large  dish  in  the  Davillier's  collection,  inscribed  "A.  Clerissy 
a  St.  Jean  du  dczert,  1697,  a  Marseilles,"  evidences  the  close 
correlation  existing,  from  the  outset,  between  the  Marseilles  and 


s  ; 
Hi 

a    —  o 

3  5  » 


MARSEILLES.  117 

the  Moustiers  potters.  By  the  choice  of  the  subject,  repre- 
senting a  lion  hunt,  after  A.  Tempesta ;  by  its  treatment  in  blue 
outlined  with  manganese,  and  by  the  quality  of  the  glaze,  it 
might  be  included  in  the  series  of  fine  hunting  dishes 
painted  by  G.  Viry,  and  other  artists  in  the  employment  of 
Pierre  Clerissy.  Such  dishes  were  long  attributed  to  Nevers,  so 
closely  do  they  resemble  the  ware  of  the  Conrades.  The  con- 
siderable quantity  of  majolica  from  Savona,  regularly  imported 
into  Marseilles,  could  not  fail  to  influence  the  work  of  the  local 
painters ;  the  style  had  a  common  origin  in  both  cases,  and  on 
that  account  the  likeness  of  the  productions  is  easily  accounted 
for. 

No  documents  have  as  yet  been  found  that  relate  to  the 
factory  of  A.  Clerissy,  but  his  faience,  says  Mr.  Davillier,  is  by 
no  means  rare.  Many  specimens  were,  in  his  time  at  least,  to 
be  picked  up  in  Provence.  They  are  generally  decorated  with 
motives  borrowed  from  Oriental  porcelain,  painted  under  glaze 
with  dull  blue,  outlined  with  manganese.  The  mark  is  the 
monogram  A.C.,  or  a  simple  C,  cursively  traced,  and  repeated 
several  times  on  the  same  piece.  An  extensive  set  of  drug-pots, 
to  which  the  same  origin  may  be  ascribed,  still  garnishes  the 
pharmacy  of  the  Narbonne  Hospital. 

Of  the  faience  manufacturer  Jean  Delaresse,  established  in 
the  town,  according  to  Montreuil,  in  1709,  nothing  remains 
beyond  the  record  of  his  name. 

We  may  assume  that  the  conditions  of  the  trade  were 
steadily  improving  at  Marseilles,  from  the  fact  that  ten  local 
factories  were  in  full  working  order  in  1750.  Their  output  is 
said  to  have  been  considerable,  and  chiefly  intended  for  expor- 
tation. But  the  ware  never  developed  an  individual  character, 
and,  owing  to  the  lack  of  a  distinctive  mark,  an  authentic 
specimen  of  the  work  of  that  period  has  never  been  recognised. 
So  successful  had  been  the  style  of  decoration  inaugurated 
at  Moustiers  that,  as  a  matter  of  course,  the  arabesques  of 
Marot  and  Toro  were  strictly  adhered   to   by   the   Marseilles 


118  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

manufacturers.  Under  such  conditions  it  becomes  impossible 
to  discriminate  between  the  productions  of  these  places.  In 
the  list  of  potters  estabhshed  in  1750  we  find  the  names  of 
J.  B.  Viry  and  Fauchiez,  who  came  from  Moustiers,  and  no 
doubt  continued  to  practise  their  art  after  the  method  in  use 
in  their  native  town. 

Compared  with  the  state  of  the  industry  as  it  stood  prior  to 
1765,  the  brisk  vitality  instilled  into  it  by  the  leading  manufac- 
turers of  the  succeeding  period  forms  a  striking  contrast.  Break- 
ing away  from  unproductive  reminiscences,  and  entering  on  a 
totally  new  path,  the  Marseilles  faience  issued  from  obscurity 
and  took  its  stand  in  full  light,  equalling,  when  not  surpassing, 
the  most  renowned  wares  of  contemporary  manufacture.  No 
more  hasty  blue  traceries  which  recalled  the  crockery  made  for 
the  poor,  but  a  display  of  brilliant  enamels,  and  of  surface  paint- 
ing so  finely  pencilled  that  faience  had  henceforth  nothing  to 
envy  in  the  more  costly  porcelain. 

Honore  Savy  must  be  named  first  for  the  share  he  took 
in  this  transformation. 

By  being  transplanted  to  Marseilles  the  white  enamel  of 
Moustiers  had  lost  none  of  its  brilliance  and  purity ;  while  the 
shapes  to  which  Savy  applied  it,  his  ewers,  stands,  tureens,  and 
other  pieces  of  table  ware,  with  their  gracefully  twisted  and  con- 
voluted feet  and  handles,  and  the  dainty  groups  of  fruits  and 
flowers  that  surmounted  their  covers,  showed  an  elegance  of 
design  altogether  unknown  to  the  Moustiers  potters.  The 
artistic  tendency  of  the  manufacture  has  been  attributed  to  the 
foundation  of  an  Academy  of  Arts  in  the  city,  and  to  the  facility 
it  gave  to  the  masters  of  selecting  clever  modellers  and  painters 
from  among  the  rising  artists  trained  in  the  school.  Savy  him- 
self was  an  associate  of  the  academy. 

Savy's  ware  was  all  decorated  over  the  glaze.  He  was 
partial  to  the  use  of  a  copper  green  enamel,  laid  in  a  flat 
tint  over  designs  traced  and  shaded  with  black  lines.  A 
peculiarity  of  his  work  is  that  touches  of  the  same  transparent 


1^ 

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I.1TNEVILX.E. 

Fig.  51. — THE  SON  of  p.  p.  rubens— figure 

IN    EARTHENWARE,    OR    "FAIENCE 
FINE."         (ATTRIBUTED        TO       THE 
SCULPTOR    CYFFLE). 
H.  14  in.     (See  p.  114.) 


MARSEILLES.  119 

green  colour  are  applied  over  the  dry  spots  left  in  the  stan- 
niferous enamel  by  the  cockspurs  on  which  the  piece  rests 
during  the  firing.  An  official  report  of  the  time  praises  the 
excellence  of  his  productions,  described  as  "  an  immensity  of 
works  of  all  kinds." 

In  1777,  the  Count  of  Provence,  brother  to  the  King,  visited, 
in  state,  the  manufactory  of  Savy,  then  one  of  the  glories  of  the 
to^n.  He  was  so  satisfied  with  all  that  was  shown  to  him  that 
he  graciously  granted  to  the  manufacturer  permission  to  place 
the  establishment  under  his  patronage,  and  to  call  it  henceforth 
"  Manufacture  de  Monsieur,  frere  du  roi."  It  is  said  that  from 
that  moment  Savy  adopted  the  "  fleur-de-lis  "  as  his  mark  ;  but 
this  sign  cannot  be  taken  as  a  sure  indication  of  origin,  for  it 
appears  on  many  specimens  of  faience  of  an  obviously  different 
provenance. 

The  factory  of  J.  Gaspard  Robert,  the  second  in  importance, 
was  also  visited,  on  the  same  occasion,  by  the  Count  of  Provence, 
He  much  admired  the  large  vases  and  other  ornamental  objects 
exhibited  in  the  showroom,  and  was  particularly  pleased  with  a 
rich  dinner  service  just  executed  for  an  English  nobleman. 

In  point  of  artistic  taste  and  perfection  of  treatment,  a 
few  examples  selected  from  the  faience  of  J.  G.  Robert  stand 
superior  to  any  other  ever  made  in  the  town.  Many  specimens 
are  signed  with  his  name  in  full,  or  are  marked  with  a  capital 
R;  the  individual  characters  of  these  pieces  are  of  sufficient 
distinction  for  us  to  recognise  others  which  have  been  left 
unmarked.  The  ornamentation  of  his  dinner  services  is  at 
once  remarkable  for  the  realistic  accuracy  of  the  details  and  the 
decorative  effect  of  the  whole  scheme.  A  pattern  often  repeated 
consisted  of  fishes,  shells,  and  sea-weeds,  enamelled  in  bright 
copper  green  over  a  tracing  in  black,  in  the  style  originated 
by  Savy.  Another,  also  very  successful,  was  composed  of 
insects  and  wild  flowers  represented  in  their  natural  colours. 
Baskets,  jardinieres,  comports,  and  dessert  plates  were  em- 
bellished with   elaborate   panels   containing  a  landscape   or  a 


120  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

seaport  view,  animated  with  a  multitude  of  minute  figures 
painted  in  pink  or  sepia  colour.  In  all  cases  tlie  work  of  the 
artist  is  executed  with  so  much  delicacy  and  fi.nish  that  it  would 
have  done  credit  to  the  most  talented  porcelain  painters  of 
Meissen  or  Frankenthal.  The  liberal  use  of  fine  gilding  still 
further  enhances  the  likeness  that  this  style  of  decoration 
bears  to  porcelain  paintmg. 

A  third  manufactory,  conducted  by  Widow  Perrin,  was  run- 
ning in  close  competition  with  those  of  Savy  and  Robert,  which 
it  equalled  in  importance.  It  produced  about  the  same  articles, 
not  perhaps  with  the  same  degree  of  excellence,  but  it  is  said 
in  much  larger  quantity.  The  mark  Y.P.  adopted  by  Widow 
Perrin  is  found  on  a  great  many  specimens  of  very  good  quality. 
Flowers  painted  in  green,  or  in  the  Strasburg  style,  were  the 
staple  articles  of  the  factory;  one  of  its  specialities  seems  to 
have  been  a  yellow  ground  of  particular  brilliance,  enamelled 
with  bouquets  of  small  flowers.  As  a  whole  the  ware  offers  so 
little  peculiarity  that  were  it  not  for  the  mark  it  would  be 
impossible  to  distinguish  it  from  that  produced  by  the  other 
manufacturers. 

The  factory  of  Jacques  Borelli,  who  came  from  Savona, 
must  also  be  mentioned ;  its  products,  which  are  of  a  more 
ordinary  sort,  are  marked  in  full:   "Jacques  Borelli." 

The  forger  has  been  exceptionally  busy  in  reproducing  the 
finest  types  of  the  Marseilles  faience.  The  best  imitations  are 
said  to  come  from  Spain.  It  is,  however,  very  easy  to  detect 
the  fraud  through  the  black  outline,  which,  instead  of  being 
finely  pencilled,  is  generally  traced  with  a  pen. 

Imitations  of  the  Marseilles  ware  were  made  at  Aubame, 
a  neighbouring  town,  at  the  same  period.  Gournay,  in  his 
"  Almanach  General  du  Commerce,  1788,"  says:  "Aubagne  has 
sixteen  pottery  works ;  in  two  of  them  faience  of  the  best  style 
is  made  to  order.  They  have  a  great  export  trade  with  the 
American  Islands,  and  a  home  trade  with  Aix,  Marseilles,  and 
Toulon." 


mARSEII.I.ES. 

Fig.  52.— sugar-basin  and  stand. 

L.  llin.     (Seep.  119.) 


MARSEILLES.  121 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

MoxTREUiL. — Anciennes   industries    marseillaises.      Marseilles,    1858. 

8vo. 
Davillier  (J.  0.). — Histoire  des  faiences  de  .  .  .  Marseilles  et  autres 

fabriques  meridionales.     Paris,  1863.     8vo. 
Arnavon  (L.). — Une  collection  de  faiences  Provencales.     Paris,   1902. 

4to. 

LA  ROCHELLE. 

A  learned  arcliEeologist,  Mr.  G.  Musset,  has  embodied  in  a 
handsome  volume  the  first  of  his  historical  researches  on  the 
transient  existence  of  the  faience  manufactories  of  La  RocheUe 
and  the  surrounding  region.  We  may  say  his  exhaustive  work 
is  so  well  planned,  so  cleverly  written,  that  no  ceramic  mono- 
graph could  be  presented  in  a  more  perfect  form.  Unfor- 
tunately the  subject  was  quite  unworthy  of  being  developed 
with  so  much  trouble  and  talent.  No  literary  effort  could 
ever  have  invested  the  coarse  and  insignificant  productions  the 
author  had  to  deal  with  in  the  present  case  with  any  artistic 
or  technical  interest. 

An  account  of  the  repeated  attempts  made  between  1722 
and  1754  to  introduce  the  manufacture  of  painted  faience  at 
La  Rochelle,  and  of  the  abrupt  failure  which  attended  all  these 
attempts,  is  not  calculated  to  captivate  our  attention.  Nor  could 
an  examination  of  the  coloured  reproductions  of  specimens,  doubt- 
less selected  from  among  the  best  representatives  of  the  ware, 
excite  in  us  any  desire  to  examine  the  originals.  As  to  the 
names  of  the  makers — Catarnet,  Mourelon,  Duboc,  Bornier, 
De  Briqueville,  and  others — they  might  as  well  be  forgotten 
by  any  but  local  collectors. 

It  is  recorded  that  in  1752  the  factory  that  one  P.  Rousseng 
had  conducted  at  Marans  since  1740  was  transported  to  La 
Rochelle.  The  event  was  followed  by  some  improvement  in  the 
manufacture,  and  a  more  steady  course  of  production  was  at  last 
established.     All  the  workmen  employed  had  come  from  various 


122  FRENCH   FAIENCE: 

centres ;  hence  the  hybrid  methods  of  decoration,  in  Avhich  the 
influence  of  the  leading  styles  of  other  places  may  be  faintly 
distinguished.  This  medley  of  styles  prevailed  in  the  decora- 
tion of  the  ware  up  to  the  moment  when  the  method  of  painting 
with  transparent  enamels,  put  into  fashion  by  P.  Hannong  of 
Strasburg,  was  exclusively  adopted.  Nowhere  was  the  adapta- 
tion of  the  process  to  yield  such  deplorable  results.  A  profitable 
outlet  had  been  found  for  the  bulk  of  the  goods  in  the  export 
trade  with  the  French  colonies  of  America.  The  emerald 
green  and  claret  purple,  which  predominate  in  the  painting  of 
that  period,  were  never  too  glaring  and  crude ;  the  pseudo- 
Chinese  personages  which  enliven  the  subjects  could  not  be 
too  grotesque  to  please  the  outlandish  taste  of  the  white  and 
the  negro  customer  of  New  Guinea,  Canada,  and  the  Antilles 
Islands,  for  whom  they  were  intended.  To  a  more  educated 
eye  their  showy  vulgarity  is  simply  offensive.  The  same  ob- 
servation applies  to  the  vases  and  fountains  adorned  with 
flowers  in  relief,  occasionally  manufactured;  they  are  all  in 
execrable  taste.  After  the  year  1790  the  making  of  painted 
faience  at  La  Kochelle  came  finally  to  an  end. 

Several  factories  of  a  still  inferior  order  had  existed,  or  were 
in  existence,  in  the  province.  One  may  mention  the  following  : 
Saintes,  established  by  L.  Sazerac  in  1731 — three  other  manufac- 
tories were  at  work  in  the  town  at  a  later  date ;  La  Chapelle-des- 
Pots,  long  celebrated  for  its  glazed  pottery,  where  Daniel 
Bodin  started  some  faience- works  in  1760.  According  to  Ris- 
Paquot,  Angouleme  alone  counted  twelve  minor  establishments, 
of  which  he  gives  the  names. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

FiLLON  (B.). — L'art  de  terre  chez  les  Poitevins.     Niort,  186-i.     4to. 
Dangibeaud  (Ch.). — Notice    sur    les    potiers  et    les    faienciers  de  la 

Saintonge.     Saintes,  1884.     8vo. 
PvIS-Paqugt. — Documents  ineclits  sur  les  faiences  charentaises.  Amiens, 

1878.     12mo. 
MussKT  (G.). — Les  faiences  roclielaises.     La  Ptoclielle,  1888.  4to. 


Ph 


niARSEII.I.ES. 

Fig.  53.— two-handled    basin    and   stand, 
decorated  in  colours  and  gold, 

L.  Uin.     {Seep.  119.) 


SCEAUX.  123 


SCEAUX. 


In  no  other  place  has  the  making  of  faience-porcelain  reached 
a  higher  degi-ee  of  perfection  than  at  Sceaux,  a  small  town 
situated  at  a  short  distance  from  Paris. 

De  Bey,  an  architect,  who  had  an  interest  in  a  local  pot- works, 
and  Jacques  Chapelle— a  man  of  multifarious  abilities,  with 
pretensions  to  being  considered  as  a  talented  painter  and  sculptor, 
a  physicist  and  chemist,  who  described  himself,  but  without 
reason,  as  a  member  of  the  Royal  Academy  of  Sciences,  and 
a  great  traveller,  who  boasted  of  having  mastered  the  trade 
secrets  of  the  chief  porcelain  manufactories  of  Europe — called 
the  support  of  capital  to  their  assistance,  and  formed  a  company 
for  the  establishment  of  the  manufacture  of  porcelain  at  Sceaux 
in  1748. 

The  year  after,  a  spacious  building  had  been  appropriated  to 
the  purpose,  and  equipped  with  all  the  necessary  appHances  and 
tools;  a  staff  of  efficient  workmen  had  been  engaged;  in  short,  all 
was  ready  to  begin  operations.  But  a  bitter  disappointment  was 
in  store  for  the  promoters.  They  were  confronted  by  the  produc- 
tion of  a  royal  privilege  granted  to  one  Charles- Adam  for  the  sole 
making  of  porcelain  after  the  fashion  of  Saxony,  and  an  injunction 
to  stop  any  further  preparations.  This  Charles- Adam  (probably 
one  of  the  Hannongs)  was  acting,  it  is  said,  on  behalf  of  a  group 
of  personages  of  high  standing,  who  did  not  want  their  names 
to  appear  in  the  affair.  They  were  all-powerful,  and  the 
disastrous  blow  could  not  be  averted. 

It  was  then  that  De  Bey  and  Chapelle,  undaunted  by  the 
failure  of  their  original  scheme,  decided  to  manufacture,  instead 
of  the  forbidden  porcelain,  a  new  kind  of  superior  faience  "  quite 
distinct  from  anything  that  had  been  done  before,"  and  to  which 
they  gave  the  name  of  "  Eaience  Japonee."  They  bore  fully  in 
mind  that  the  epoch  they  lived  in  was  one  of  supreme  elegance 
and  unbounded  luxury.  They  knew  that  to  secure  fashionable 
patronage    the   dainty  ware  they  purposed   to    make    should 


124  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

harmonise  with  the  embroidered  silk  hangings  and  the  lacquered 
furniture  of  a  lady's  boudoir,  and  not  look  out  of  place  when  a 
specimen  of  it  was  seen  resting  upon  the  gilt  corner-shelves 
among  the  bejewelled  knick-knacks  of  a  tnarquise.  Some  of 
the  charming  jardinieres  of  Sceaux^  and  some  other  small  pieces, 
equally  tastefully  and  richly  decorated  in  gold  and  colours,  show 
that  they  had  not  altogether  overrated  their  capabiUties. 

The  works,  which  had  been  taken  under  the  special  patronage 
of  the  Duchesse  du  Maine,  were  soon  in  full  prosperity ;  in 
1752  they  gave  employment  to  ninety  potters  and  painters. 
Business  proved  so  remunerative  that,  on  his  share  of  the  profits, 
Jacques  Chapelle  found  himself  enabled  in  1759  to  buy  out  his 
partner  and  purchase  the  factory  with  all  the  outbuildings 
connected  with  it. 

He  adorned  his  residence  and  the  surrounding  grounds  with 
embellishments  which  would  have  befitted  a  nobleman's  mansion. 
In  the  reception  room  was  a  painted  ceiling  mth  figures  repre- 
senting the  fine  arts.  The  living  rooms  were  elegantly  decorated 
in  camaieu.  A  Qight  of  steps  with  a  wrought-iron  handrail 
led  into  the  gardens.  These  were  laid  out  in  the  formal  style 
of  the  period.  A  fountain  occupied  the  centre ;  the  walks  and 
groves  were  filled  with  a  multitude  of  statues  and  faience  vases. 
Of  these  latter,  forty-three  of  exceptional  size  were  of  Nevers 
manufacture.  This  much  abridged  description  is  taken  fi'om 
the  inventory  drawn  up  in  1763,  when  Chapelle  retired  from 
business  and  leased  his  manufactory  to  Jullien,  one  of  his  best 
painters,  and  the  sculptor  Ch.  S.  Jacques. 

Jullien  and  Jacques  remained  in  possession  for  nine  years, 
after  which  Richard  Glot  acquired  the  whole  property  for  40,000 
livres.  A  man  of  superior  education,  of  experience  in  business, 
and  an  artist  of  talent,  R.  Glot  did  not  let  the  Sceaux 
manufactory  decline  under  his  direction.  Technical  processes 
were  still  improved,  better  painters  were  selected,  production  was 
])crfccted  regardless  of  cost.  It  is  admitted  that  the  finest 
specimens  we  admire  in  the  collections  were  made  during  his 


1 


SCEAUX.  125 

time.  The  Duke  de  Penthievre  had  become  the  patron  of  the 
works,  and  his  support  and  influence  contributed  not  a  little  to 
the  success  of  the  manufacturer.  Many  odd  pieces  of  the 
rich  dinner  services  that  were  made  for  the  noble  duke  are  still 
in  existence.  Most  of  them  bear  the  name  of  the  chateau  for 
which  they  were  intended.  They  allow  us  to  form  an  idea  of 
the  good  taste  and  high  finish  with  which  even  table  ware  was 
executed. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  great  Revolution,  Glot  became  im- 
pHcated  in  political  affairs,  and  during  the  persecution  of  which 
he  was  the  object,  he  could  give  but  little  attention  to  the 
conduct  of  his  business,  which  suffered  considerably  from  that 
neglect  and  from  the  social  perturbations  of  the  time.  He  then 
broke  all  connection  with  faience  manufacture,  and  having  sold 
his  factory  to  P.  A.  Cabaret  for  an  annuity  of  6,000  livres, 
he  retired  to  Versailles,  where  he  died  in  1813.  From  that 
moment  all  artistic  work  was  abandoned,  and  a  once  glorious 
concern  went  dovni  to  the  level  of  a  purely  commercial  enterprise. 

"Faience  fine"  as  well  as  stanniferous  faience  was  manu- 
factured ;  both  were  decorated  in  a  porcelain-like  manner ;  soft 
porcelain  of  a  fine  quality  was  concurrently  produced. 

An  anchor,  in  allusion  to  the  dignity  of  the  Duke  de 
Penthievre,  High  Admiral  of  France,  or  the  stencilled  name: 
"  Sceaux,"  are  the  marks  of  the  productions. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

Thor:e. — Les  anciennes  fabriques  de  faience  et  de  porcelaine  de  I'arron- 
dissement  de  Sceaux.     Paris,  1868.     8vo. 

APREY. 

Lallemand  de  Villehaut,  Baron  d'Aprey,  owner  of  a  glass- 
works at  Aprey,  near  Langres,  established  a  factory  of  painted 
faience  in  the  same  locality  towards  1750.  From  the  first  he 
aimed  at  producing  a  ware  of  the  best  possible  quality.     Vessels 


126  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

of  silver  supplied  models  for  the  forms ;  the  over-glaze  painting 
was  inspired  from  the  delicate  decoration  of  the  best  French  and 
German  porcelain.  Ceramic  collectors  sIioav  a  great  partiality 
for  the  specimens  of  Aprey  faience,  painted  with  conventional 
birds  of  gaudy  plumage,  bearing  the  mark  of  Jarry,  the  chief 
painter  of  the  place. 

The  founder  of  the  factory  retired  in  rather  bad  circum- 
stances, and  was  succeeded  by  Baron  d'Anthes  de  Longpierre, 
who  left  the  concern  in  the  hands  of  his  foreman  Olivier  in  1789. 

Many  marks  appear  on  the  Aprey  faience,  the  monogram 
xi.P.  being  usually  accompanied  with  the  painter's  initial  letters. 
But  as  marks  were  not  used  at  the  earliest  period,  the  specimens 
on  which  we  find  them  are  mostly  of  an  inferior  order. 


marssix.i.es. 

Fig.  55. —vase  "pot  poukri' 
decoration. 

H.  13V  in. 


POLYCHROME 


SCEAUX. 

Fig.  56.— plate  decorated  in  the  porcelain 

STYLE. 

(Seep.  124.) 


^^p 

w^ 

■ 

R 

^^"^ 

a 

P^  '^ 

v^'A^ 

■KHHj^B 

HH^i'^^'  '.j^hHk 

r 

APREV. 

Fig.  57.— sugar-basin  with  cover  and  stand 
white  panels  on  red  ground. 

L.  9  in.     (Seep.  125.) 


VIII. 

RENNES. 

NANTES— LECROISIC — MACHECOUL — QUIMPER. 


RENNES. 

Brittany  has  had  its  faience  factories  like  the  other  French 
provinces,  but  none  of  them  ever  left  the  routine  field  in 
which  it  moved,  and  attempted  to  stamp  its  productions  with  an 
individual  character.  The  ceramic  writers  who  have  dealt  with 
the  manufactory  of  Eennes  mention  as  exceptional  examples  of 
the  ware,  a  large  fountain  and  basin,  a  soup-tureen  or  two,  some 
large  garden  vases,  modelled  in  the  rocaille  style  and  heavily 
decorated  in  manganese  and  green,  in  the  taste  of  the  Marseilles 
faience.  Such  specimens  are  all  that  a  museum,  anxious  to 
complete  its  series  of  French  ceramics,  would  care  to  show  as 
representative  of  the  Rennes  manufacture;  but  pieces  of  that 
order  are  of  such  great  rarity  as  to  place  that  modest  expectation 
almost  beyond  hope. 

A  few  mortuary  slabs,  bearing  inscriptions  painted  in  black 
and  blue  upon  a  thick  stanniferous  enamel,  were  discovered  in 
the  cemetery  of  the  town  and  deposited  in  the  museum.  They 
are  dated  respectively,  1653,  1679,  and  1681.  Several  drug-pots, 
coming  from  the  Saint- Yves  Hospital,  also  in  the  museum, 
appear  to  belong  to  the  same  period.  From  this  evidence,  the 
existence  of  an  early  and  permanent  manufacture  seems  clearly 
established. 

At  Fontenay,  a  few  miles  from  Rennes,  a  picturesque  kind  of 
pottery,  glazed  in  various  colours,  was  cun-ently  made  at  the 
beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century.  Aussant  gives  the  de- 
scription of  a  few  specimens  attributed  to  the  place,  some  of 
them,  I  regret  to  say,  quite  erroneously.  Others,  however,  em- 
bossed with  the  arms  of  France  and  Navarre,  and  the  hermine  of 
Brittany  cannot  be  made  the  subject  of  a  doubt,  when  they  are 


130  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

compared  with  the  glazed  pinnacles  and  the  painted  terra-cotta 
mantelpieces  still  extant  in  old  buildings  of  the  region. 

It  is  not,  however,  until  174  8  that  we  find  in  the  civic 
documents  the  record  of  a  faience  manufactory  having  been 
founded  by  a  Florentine  majolist  named  Jean  Forasassi,  alias 
Barbarino.  He  may  have  simply  prepared  the  way  for  one 
Emmerel  de  Charmoy,  who  took  possession  of  the  establishment 
at  the  end  of  the  first  year,  worked  it  without  any  good  result, 
and  fell  into  bankruptcy  in  1752.  No  example  is  known  of 
the  ware  made  by  De  Charmoy,  nor  by  the  company  which 
succeeded  him. 

A  sadly  debased  tradition  of  Italian  majolica  is,  however, 
apparent  in  some  small  polychrome  figures  of  the  Holy  Virgin 
and  saints,  still  abundant  in  the  country,  and  considered  as 
belonging  to  the  first  period  of  manufacture;  one  of  them  is 
dated  1659.  Let  it  be  said  at  once,  that  Italian  art  has  nothing 
to  do  with  the  modelling  of  these  saintly  images,  sold  for  a  few 
sous  to  the  poor  and  pious  peasants  of  Brittany ;  they  rank 
among  the  clumsiest  cottage  ornaments,  and  have  but  little 
attraction  for  the  ceramic  collector. 

The  next  proprietor  of  the  works,  Dubois  de  la  Vrilliere,  had 
more  artistic  pretensions  in  his  manufactures.  He  employed 
artists  who  often  signed  their  work  with  their  full  name. 
Bourgoin,  a  native  of  Eouen,  introduced  the  Kouen  patterns. 
He  modelled,  in  1764,  a  reduction  of  the  monument  erected  at 
the  town  hall  in  honour  of  Louis  XV.  A  copy  of  it  in  white 
faience  is  preserved  in  the  museum.  Bourgoin  became  director 
of  the  factory,  and  divided  his  time  between  the  management 
of  the  workshops  and  of  a  little  grocery  business  he  had  in  the 
town.  Another  painter,  Hirel  de  Choisy,  has  signed  several 
pieces,  namely  a  ver}'  elaborate  inkstand  he  painted  as  an 
apprentice  masterpiece,  when  he  was  only  nineteen  years  of  age. 
From  Rennes,  Hirel  de  Choisy  joined  the  Royal  factory  of 
Sevres,  where  he  ended  his  life  as  a  pensioner.  The  names  of 
Michel,  Baron,   C6sar  Bayol,  and  others,  are  also  found   upon 


RENNES.  131 

exceptional  specimens.  The  faience  works  founded  by  Barbarino 
lingered  until  1887. 

A  rival  factory  had  been  started,  in  the  Rue  Hue,  by 
Tutrel,  in  1749  ;  with  the  assistance  of  a  loan  of  12,000  livres, 
granted  to  the  enterprise  by  the  States  of  Brittany,  he  just 
managed  to  struggle  painfully  against  adverse  circumstances. 
Du  Lattay,  a  surgeon,  who  succeeded  Tutrel,  attempted  to 
transform  the  whole  style  of  manufacture,  by  engaging  a  few 
experienced  painters  from  Marseilles.  They  worked  at  Rennes 
as  they  had  been  trained  to  work  in  the  place  where  they  came 
from,  and  the  curious  likeness  noticeable  between  the  Brittany 
and  the  Provence  ware  is  explained  in  that  way.  Some  of  the 
best  examples  are  inscribed,  "  Fait  a  Rennes,  Rue  Htie." 
They  are  very  superior  to  the  common  run  of  pieces  of  the 
same  origin,  but  decidedly  inferior  to  the  average  of  the  Marseilles 
faience.  The  loan  was  never  repaid  to  the  States,  and  after  a 
succession  of  inextricable  crises  the  works  were  at  last  closed 
in  1790. 

The  Vaumort  factory  was  at  work  between  1812  and  1878. 
Its  productions  offer  nothing  that  calls  for  special  attention. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

AussANT  (M.  J.). — Fabrique  de  poteries  artistiques  a  Fontenay,  pres  de 

Rennes,  au  XYI.  et  au  XYII.  siecle.     Rennes,  1870.     8vo. 
Decombb  (L.). — Les  anciennes  faiences  rennaises.    Rennes,  1900.  Svo. 

NANTES. 

Ancient  documents  establish  the  fact  that  Jean  Ferro,  an 
Italian  gentleman  and  glassmaker,  received  royal  letters-patent 
for  the  manufacture  of  glass  and  "  white  vessels,  or  ftiience,"  in 
the  town  of  Nantes,  at  the  end  of  the  sixteenth  century,  and 
that  his  nephew,  Antoine  Ribe,  took  over  the  business  in  1625. 
Of  the  ware  they  made  no  record  is  m  existence. 

A  kind  of  common  white  faience,  embossed  with  fleur-de-lys 


132  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

painted  over  in  blue,  is  attributed  by  Benjamin  Fillon  to  the  factory 
of  Charles  Gueriner  and  Jacques  Rolland,  founded  in  1654.  But 
this  is  merely  a  conjecture.  It  will  devolve  upon  the  patient  and 
sagacious  investigator  of  the  days  to  come  to  affix  the  correct 
label  upon  the  still  unauthenticated  examples  of  the  earl}^ 
faience  of  Nantes.  B.  Fillon  mentions  also  the  works  established 
in  1752  by  Leroy  de  Montigny,  which,  at  the  beginning  of  the 
nineteenth  century,  were  in  the  hands  of  Fourmy.  This  Fourmy 
was  an  interesting  personality,  a  consummate  ceramist,  gifted  with 
incontestable  talent,  but  a  dreamer  so  unsuccessful  in  all  his 
enterprises,  that  an  account  of  his  life  reads  like  a  romance.  He 
left  some  remarkable  ceramic  treatises,  which  have  become 
rare,  and  which  deserve  to  be  reprinted. 

The  museum  of  Nantes  possesses  numerous  examples  of  the 
Rivas  factory,  started  in  1734,  and  which  increased  to  sufficient 
proportions  to  become  a  Royal  factory  in  1774.  They  imitated 
the  Rouen  patterns,  and  subsequently  made  "  Patriotic  faience  " 
of  the  usual  description. 

A  neighbouring  town,  Le  Croisic,  can  show  musty  parch- 
ments testifying  to  the  early  establishment  in  the  place  of  the 
faience  industry.  Through  these  documents  we  are  made  aware 
of  the  fact  that  Gerard  Demigennes,  who  came  from  Flanders, 
was  maldng  white  pottery,  after  the  fashion  of  his  own  country, 
towards  the  end  of  the  sixteenth  century,  and  that  he  was 
succeeded  by  an  Italian,  Horacio  Borniola,  in  1627.  We  also 
hear  that  the  manufacture  was  successfully  continued  for  years 
afterwards.  Historical  information  is,  unfortunately,  all  we 
possess  in  reference  to  the  faience  of  Le  Croisic.  So-called 
specimens  of  that  origin  were  sent  to  the  retrospective  exhibition 
of  Rennes  in  1864  ;  but  nothing  has  come  to  light  since  then  to 
confirm  the  correctness  of  the  attribution. 

The  same  uncertainty  is  attached  to  the  making  of  majolica, 
at  Machecoul,  by  the  brothers  Jacopo  and  Loys  Ridolfi,  of 
Cafi'aggiolo ;  it  is  only  a  trtidition,  which  has  never  been 
substantiated. 


QUIMPER.  133 


QUIMPER. 


From  1690  white  and  blue  faience  was  made  at  Quimper  by 
a  potter  named  J.  B.  Bousquet,  who  had  come  from  Provence, 
and  is  said  to  have  produced  inferior  imitations  of  the  wares  of 
Moustiers  and  Marseilles.  A  few  specimens  of  this  style,  bearing 
the  coats  of  arms  of  some  ancient  families  of  Quimper,  serve  to 
support  the  assumption. 

Pierre  Caussy,  the  son  of  one  of  the  leading  manufacturers  of 
Rouen,  assumed  the  management  of  the  Bousquets'  factory  in 
1749.  He  came  over  provided  with  a  large  stock  of  models, 
designs,  and  tracings,  and  in  addition  an  exhaustive  treatise 
on  faience  manufacture  that  the  experienced  father  had  prepared 
for  the  benefit  of  his  son.  This  MS.,  which  contains  about 
400  pages,  is  still  in  the  possession  of  his  descendants. 

Under  the  direction  of  Caussy  the  Rouen  style  asserted  its 
paramount  influence ;  nothing  but  the  traditional  patterns  were 
executed,  with  very  slight  modifications.  Whether  it  was  that 
the  materials  employed  were  not  of  sufficiently  good  quality,  or 
that  such  hands  as  were  obtainable  had  not  received  a  proper 
training,  the  would-be  imitations  never  approached  the  average 
standard  of  the  originals.  The  "  Cornucopia  "  and  the  "  Quiver  " 
patterns,  as  well  as  other  graceful  designs  of  the  "rocaille" 
period,  cannot  stand  comparison  with  the  models.  In  the 
Quimper  productions  the  colours  always  lack  vigour  and  bril- 
Hance,  and,  to  make  up  for  that  wealaiess,  all  details  are  heavily 
outlined  with  manganese.  The  glaze  is  poor  and  of  a  greyish 
hue.  A  mark  composed  of  the  two  letters  P.C,  or  simply 
C,  occurs  occasionally  on  the  ware. 

A.  de  la  Hubeaudiere  succeeded  Caussy,  his  father-in-law, 
in  1782.  As  stanniferous  faience  was  then  falling  into  utter 
discredit,  the  manufacture  of  earthen-  and  stone-ware  after  the 
English  fashion  was  substituted  for  the  older  wares  towards 
1794.  All  that  was  made  after  that  time  is  absolutely  devoid 
of  artistic  interest. 


134  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

A  curious  revival  took  place  in  1872.  As  old  Quimper 
faience  was  greatly  in  demand,  the  firm,  taking  advantage  of 
the  original  recipe-book,  and  the  drawings  and  tracings  still 
preserved  at  the  works,  thought  it  expedient  to  reproduce  the 
ancient  models.  They  succeeded  in  making  their  spurious  ware 
sufficiently  deceptive  to  allow  unscrupulous  dealers  in  curiosities 
to  palm  it  off  as  genuine  examples  of  Rouen  and  Quimper  upon 
unwary  purchasers.  These  worthless  shams  have  found  their 
way  into  ceramic  collections ;  the  mark  H.B.  (Hubeaudiere), 
which  was  affixed  to  them,  looks  too  much  like  an  old  mark  to 
have  been  placed  there  as  a  warning.  This  must  be  remembered 
by  the  collector. 

BIBLIOGEAPHY. 

Le  Men  (R.-F.). — La  manufacture  de  faience  de  Quimper.      Quimper, 

1875.     8vo. 
Le  Breton  (G.). — Les  faiences  de  Quimper.     Rouen,  1876.     12mo. 


IX.  : 

SAINT-OMER.  \ 

AIRE  — DESVRES— HESDIN— BOULOGNE-SUR-MER — VRON— CALAIS  ^ 

— DOUAI — MONTEREAU — SARREGUExMINES.  j 

i 


SAINT-OMEE. 

Convincing  evidence  lias  been  left  to  us  by  the  Mediseval 
tile-makers  of  Saint-Omer  that  painting  in  various  colours  upon 
white  pottery  had  been  practised  in  France  at  a  much  earlier  date 
than  that  of  the  introduction  of  Italian  majolica.  No  ceramic 
history  contams  any  description  of  the  pavement  discovered  m 
the  ruins  of  Saint-Bertin  in  1843.  Its  composition  presented  this 
peculiar  feature,  that  white  tiles  were  introduced  as  central 
panels  and  borders  in  a  groundwork  of  red  and  yellow  inlaid 
tiles  of  the  usual  character.  These  unprecedented  specimens 
appear  to  have  been  made  of  the  local  white  clay  still  used  for  the 
manufacture  of  tobacco-pipes.  They  are  painted  with  equestrian 
figures  of  knights,  armed  with  swords  and  armorial  shields, 
just  as  we  see  them  represented  upon  the  heraldic  seals  of  the 
fourteenth  century ;  and  with  scriptural  subjects.  The  colours 
used  are  yellow  and  green  outlined  in  black.  Owing,  no  doubt,  to 
imperfect  firing,  the  substance  has  been  partly  decomposed  by 
the  dampness  of  the  soil,  and  almost  the  whole  of  the  white 
tiles  crumbled  into  dust  in  the  hands  of  their  discoverers.  The 
fragments  were  ruthlessly  thrown  away.  Only  two  of  these  tiles, 
in  a  tolerable  state  of  preservation,  were  deposited  in  the  town 
museum.  They  show  what  the  rest  may  have  been,  and 
make  us  regret  the  carelessness  with  which  the  excavations 
were  conducted  in  the  case  of  a  discovery  which  has  never  been 
repeated.  Nothing  of  a  contemporary  period  can  be  called  to 
mind  that  is  equivalent  to  these  curious  tiles,  unless  it  be  the 
archaic  painted  pottery  of  Faenza.  We  are  not,  however,  without 
historical  record  of  such  a  work  having  been  made  in  the  North 
of   France    during  the  fourteenth    century.      M.  Houdoy  has 


138  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

recorded,  in  liis  "  Histoire  de  la  ceramique  lilloise,"  tlie  existence 
of  the  letters-patent  granted  in  1391  by  Philippe  le  Hardi,  Duke 
of  Burgundy,  to  Jehan  de  Moustiers  and  Jehan-lc-Voleur, 
"ouvriers  en  quarriaux  peints  et  jolis,"  and  also  of  a  document 
referring  to  the  painted  pavements  that  these  tilemakers  were 
to  execute  "  in  their  art,"  after  the  designs  prepared  by  the 
celebrated  painter  Melcior  Broedeslain,  for  the  ducal  palaces  of 
Arras  and  Hesdin.  The  two  tiles  preserved  in  the  Saint-Omer 
Museum  answer  satisfactorily  enough  the  idea  we  may  form  of 
these  "  quarries,  painted  and  pretty."  Many  of  them  may  have 
been  made,  but  the  imperfectly  fired  clay  could  not  stand 
the  destructive  power  of  time.  We  cannot  consequently  be 
surprised  if  nothing  but  the  two  damaged  examples  in  the 
museum  has  escaped  the  general  annihilation  of  the  work  of 
J.  de  Moustiers  and  Jehan-le-Yoleur. 

From  the  Media3val  times  we  have  to  jump  into  the 
eighteenth  century  to  find  painted  faience  manufactured  at 
Saint-Omer  by  one  Saladin  in  1751.  The  same  potter  had  pre- 
viously attempted  to  start  a  factory  at  Dunkirk,  but  his 
intention  had  been  frustrated  by  the  opposition  of  the  Lille 
manufacturers,  who  were  protected  by  a  royal  privilege. 
Having  settled  at  Saint-Omer,  he  began  to  manufacture  imi- 
tations of  the  wares  most  in  demand  at  the  time.  He  v^as 
particularly  successful  in  the  production  of  the  picturesque 
pieces  representing  vegetables,  fruits,  and  animals  that  the 
Delft  and  Brussels  factories  had  brought  into  fashion.  A  soup- 
tureen  in  the  shape  of  a  colossal  cabbage,  executed  with  extra- 
ordinary care,  inscribed  and  dated  1759,  is  quoted  as  testimony 
of  an  excellence  of  manufacture  which  rendered  his  imitations 
as  perfect  as  the  models.  Several  replicas  of  that  piece  are 
still  in  existence,  one  of  them  in  the  ceramic  museum  of 
Sevres. 

It  is,  however,  only  at  Saint-Omer  that  the  ware  may  bo 
studied  in  all  its  modifications.  The  civic  nuiseum,  and  the 
Musec  Henri  Dupuis,  contain  important  collections  of  the  faience 


SAINT-OMER.  139 

of  local  manufacture,  in  which,  besides  the  fancy  articles  just 
alluded  to,  the  painted  pieces  of  various  periods  are  adequately 
represented.  Some  of  the  earliest  pieces  are  painted  upon 
Persian  blue  ground,  with  scrolls  and  foliage  of  white  enamel, 
after  the  old  Nevers  style.  The  Chinese  subjects,  such  as  were 
made  at  Rouen,  or  rather  at  Sinceny,  the  pale  tints  of  which 
were  affected,  were  next  produced.  Lastly,  the  rocaille  decora- 
tion, so  successfully  indulged  in  at  Lille,  was  adopted  conjointly 
with  the  bouquets  and  sprays  of  conventional  flowers  common 
to  all  the  factories  of  the  North.  No  special  mark  was  ever 
used  ;  however,  some  specimens  are  known  to  be  inscribed :  "  St. 
Omer,"  with  various  dates.  A  single  instance  is  recorded  of  a 
painter  having  signed  his  work  with  his  name ;  that  of  Candart 
occurs  upon  one  of  the  specimens  in  the  town  museum.  So 
frequent  in  every  scheme  of  decoration  is  the  presence  of  a 
small  fly  of  peculiar  design,  that  it  has  come  to  be  considered 
as  a  certificate  of  origin.  The  making  of  "  faience  fine "  in 
the  English  style  was  started  in  opposition  to  the  Douai 
factory.  But  the  attempt  did  not  save  the  Saint-Omer  factory 
from  sharing  the  fate  of  all  the  establishments  of  the  same 
order  which  the  social  events  brought  to  utter  ruin  at  that 
moment ;  it  closed  its  door  shortly  after  1790. 

Whether  Saladin's  enterprise  ever  raised  any  competition  in 
the  town  itself  has  not  yet  been  ascertained.  The  quantity  of 
painted  faience  of  nearly  the  same  description  still  to  be  found 
in  the  province  is  so  considerable  that  it  can  scarcely  be  attri- 
buted to  one  single  factory.  It  is  now  known  that  several 
small  faience  works,  all  situated  in  close  proximity,  had  con- 
tributed to  this  plentiful  supply,  and  that  their  productions 
were  by  no  means  inferior  in  quality  to  those  of  Saint-Omer. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

Wallet  (E.). — Description  du  pave  de  rancienne  cathedrale  de  Saint- 
Omer.     Douai,  1848,     4to,  and  atlas,  fol. 


140  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

AIRE. 

At  Aire-siir-la-Lisse  good  faience  was  made  since  the  year 
1780  by  one  Joseph  Prudhomme.  The  factory  was  by  no  means 
remiss  in  following  the  variations  of  public  taste ;  the  designs  in 
the  Rouen  style  were  replaced  in  due  time  by  Strasburg  patterns. 
That  clever  painters  were  employed  is  evidenced  by  a  white  and 
blue  jug,  painted  with  no  mean  talent  with  figures  of  musicians  ; 
it  bears  the  inscription  : 

ANNO,  1731.      MESSIEVRS   IE   VOVS   INVITE,  ICI   A   BOIRE   VN 
GOV   AV   CONCERT. 

Some  medallions  of  heads  in  relief,  heightened  with  blue 
and  manganese,  were  imbedded  in  the  walls  of  the  ancient 
factory.  They  have  been  transferred  to  the  Saint-Omer  Museum. 
They  assist  us  in  the  identification  of  the  unmarked  ware.  A 
pale  yellow  of  a  particular  tint  is  another  of  its  distinctive 
characteristics.  This  factory  also  came  to  an  end  at  the  close 
of  the  eighteenth  century. 

DESVRES. 

Desvres,  in  the  same  region,  had  a  rather  prolific  factory, 
conducted  in  1732  by  Dupre-Poulaine  on  the  site  of  the  pottery 
works  established  by  Cesar  Boulonne  in  1515.  Much  of  the 
ware  made  by  D.  Poulaine  may  be  recognised  through  its  like- 
ness to  a  large  faience  mantelpiece,  once  adorning  a  room 
in  the  old  works,  and  now  exhibited  in  the  museum.  The 
painting  is  always  heavily  outlined  with  dark  manganese  and 
filled  in  with  flat  tints  in  which  a  pale  yellow  predominates. 

Poulaine  was  succeeded  in  1764  by  J.  F.  Sta.  One  of  the 
staple  articles  of  manufacture  were  mustard-pots,  inscribed : 
"  La  moutarde  do  Desvres  est  meilleure  que  celle  dc  Dijon."  The 
same  manufacturers  arc  also  responsible  for  the  making  of 
the  drinking  pots  in  the  shape  of  a  figure  of  an  old  woman  in 


DESVRES.  141 

tall  linen  cap  and  flowered  petticoat,  so  popular  in  the  provinces 
of  Northern  France  under  the  name  of  "  Jacquelines,"  a  counter- 
part of  our  English  "  Toby  "  jug.  Also  at  Desvres  were  made  the 
quaint  salt-cellars,  formed  of  two  female  figures  standing  back 
to  back,  forgeries  of  which  are  found  in  all  continental  curiosity 
shops.  Of  a  higher  order  of  work  is  the  large  pitcher  preserved 
in  the  Saint-Omer  museum.  It  is  painted  with  a  figure  of  St. 
Antony  of  Padua,  and  dated  1783.  This  rare  but  duly  authen- 
ticated production  is  equal  in  treatment  to  the  best  works  of 
the  chief  centres. 

HESDIN. 

Through  certain  large  platters  painted  in  blue  with  half 
length  figures,  we  come  to  know  the  character  of  the  ware  made 
at  Hesdin  in  the  same  region.  To  this  factory,  Mr.  Boyer  de 
Sainte-Suzanne  ascribes  a  priority  of  foundation  over  all  the 
others.  The  dishes,  not  uncommonly  found  in  the  locality,  are 
decorated,  among  other  subjects,  with  the  image  of  a  girl  holding 
a  flower,  or  that  of  a  bewigged  and  cuirassed  warrior,  to  whom 
popular  tradition  has  given  the  name  of  "  Marlborough,"  doubt- 
less in  recollection  of  the  far-famed  commander  of  the  British 
Army.  A  peculiarity  of  the  Hesdin  dishes  is  that  the  central 
subject  is  never  accompanied  by  any  ornamental  border.  In 
the  statistics  for  1812,  the  Hesdin  factory  is  mentioned  as 
emplojdng  ten  workmen,  and  having  an  annual  production  of 
the  value  of  26,000  francs. 


BOULOGNE-SUR-MER 

A  numerous  colony  of  common  potters,  working  in  association 
with  the  brick  and  tile  makers,  had  been  settled  for  centuries 
outside  the  walls  of  the  city  of  Boulogne :  it  is  said  to  have  been 
organised  into  a  thriving  community.  Such  vessels  as  they 
made  were  of  the  coarsest  description,  and  destined  for  the 
poorest  classes.     Yet  it  was  not  unusual  to  see  fanciful  articles, 


142  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

of  elaborate  workmanship,  prepared  by  some  skilful  crafts- 
man for  a  special  occasion.  A  few  of  these  interesting  per- 
formances, jugs  of  archaic  form,  quaintly  embossed,  and  glazed 
with  green  or  brown,  and  large  dishes  with  bold  designs 
incised  in  the  ground  or  traced  with  coloured  slips,  are  preserved 
in  the  Boulogne  Museum  ;  they  testify  to  the  imaginative  power 
and  ability  of  the  local  potters.  None  of  them,  however,  seems 
to  have  ever  troubled  himself  with  the  ambition  of  replacing  his 
antique  handicraft  with  the  new  manufacture  of  white  faience. 
It  was  by  a  tradesman  of  the  town,  named  Yerlingue,  who  had 
little  or  no  experience  as  a  potter,  that  the  first  faience  factory 
was  established  in  1773.  Desvres  supplied  a  competent  manager 
and  a  staff  of  reliable  workmen  ;  and  in  this  way  they  went  on 
making  domestic  vessels  and  wall  tiles  glazed  with  stanni- 
ferous enamel.  It  was  neither  better  nor  worse  in  quality  than 
the  average  ware  of  the  other  minor  works  of  the  region,  but  it 
might  be  difficult  to  point  out  a  painted  specimen  that  could  be 
added  to  a  ceramic  collection  as  an  ornament ;  if  it  is  of  some 
interest  for  the  history  of  local  industr}?-,  it  cannot  be  said  to 
possess  any  artistic  merit.  Verlingue  never  succeeded  in  getting 
out  of  the  difficulties  with  which  he  found  himself  confronted  at 
the  very  beginning  of  his  enterprise ;  he  had  to  give  up  after 
twenty-five  years  of  hopeless  struggle. 

It  is  as  the  founder  of  the  small  but  interesting  factory  of 
Vron,  situated  on  the  road  to  Abbeville,  that  Yerlingue  deserves 
to  be  remembered.  We  have  seen  that  he  was  not  a  potter  ;  his 
experience  at  Boulogne  does  not  seem  to  have  much  improved 
his  technical  knowledge,  and  the  ware  made  at  Vron  under  his 
management  is  singularly  primitive  in  character.  The  clay  is 
coarse,  the  forms  clumsily  fashioned,  the  glaze  dull,  blistered  and 
crazed.  As  for  the  painted  decoration,  it  denotes  the  hand  of 
a  self-taught  native  artist,  who  had  evidently  never  seen  any- 
thing better  than  the  woodcuts  of  the  penny  chap-books,  the 
only  form  of  art  which  ever  penetrated  into  the  village,  and  which 
tlio  faience  painter  tried  his  best  to  imitate.     His  work  may  be 


BOULOGNE-SUR-MER.  U3 

classed  with  the  paintings  of  the  so-called  "  Faience  Patriotique/' 
then  made  all  over  France,  but  it  stands  far  behind  the  pro- 
ductions of  the  chief  centres.  Yet,  it  is  precisely  the  incom- 
parable "  naivete "  displayed  in  these  topical  caricatures, 
unequalled  anywhere  else  for  the  childishness  of  the  conceptions 
and  the  comicality  of  the  design,  that  causes  the  domestic  ware 
and  the  painted  wall  tiles  of  Vron  to  be  sought  after  by  certain 
collectors. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

Yaillant    (Y.    J.). — Les    ceramistes    boulonnais.      Boulogne-sur-Mer, 

1882.     8vo. 
Lefebvrb  (A.). — La  ceramique  boulonnaise.     Boulogne-sur-Mer,  1899. 

4to. 
WiGNiER  (Cb.). — La  manufacture  cle  faience  de  Yron.    Abbeville,  1875. 

8vo. 

CALAIS. 

The  name  of  Calais  is  found  impressed  underneath  some  pieces 
of  a  thoroughly  English  character,  cream  colour  jugs,  stands, 
or  dinner  services  of  white  earthenware,  printed  in  blue  with 
the  willow  pattern,  and  other  Staffordshire  subjects.  They 
come  from  a  factory  established  at  St.  Pierre-les-Calais  in  1812, 
by  Mr.  de  Ferque,  and  sold  by  him  two  years  afterwards  to  an 
English  company  directed  by  Messrs.  Pain,  Bayley,  and  Shirley. 
The  productions  could  not  compete  against  the  English  im- 
portations, and  the  unsuccessful  enterprise  soon  came  to  an  end. 

DOUAL 

We  have  seen  that  the  making  of  earthenware  glazed  with 
lead,  or  "  faience  fine,"  was  introduced,  more  or  less  extensively, 
in  nearly  all  the  French  faience  works  of  a  late  period.  A  strict 
affectation  of  copying  English  models  did  not  leave  the  ware 
a  chance  to  develop  a  national  character.  A  few  particulars 
concerning  the  establishment  of  the  most  important  works  in 


144  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

which  pottery,  in  the  EngHsh  fashion,  was  exclusivel}'  manu- 
factured, would  not  bo  without  interest  for  the  industrial  history 
of  ceramics  ;  the  productions,  considered  from  the  artistic  point 
of  view,  are  too  insignificant,  as  a  rule,  to  deserve  much 
attention. 

I  will  take  the  factory  established  at  Douai  in  1780  as  a  fair 
type  of  all  those  in  which  the  actual  processes  used  in  England 
were  bodily  imported  and  carried  on  in  a  practical  manner, 
so  as  to  secure  success  and  profit  to  the  manufacturers.  The 
history  of  the  commencement  of  all  kindred  pottery  works  of 
the  epoch  differs  but  little  from  that  of  the  Douai  works. 

Two  brothers,  Charles  and  Jack  Leigh,  coming  from  Stafford- 
shire, and  describing  themselves  as  potters'  managers,  arrived  in 
the  town  in  1780.  They  were  anxious  to  find  sufficient  capital 
to  set  up  an  earthenware  factory  on  the  principles  adopted  in 
their  own  country.  At  that  moment  the  duties  charged  upon 
the  ware  imported  from  England  were  so  high  as  to  be  virtually 
prohibitive;  much  of  it,  however,  seems  to  have  found  its 
way  into  France,  where  it  was  highly  appreciated.  The  scheme 
presented  by  the  Englishmen  was  well  calculated  to  please  a 
bold  investor,  and  a  merchant  of  the  town,  named  J.  Bris,  under- 
took to  find  the  necessary  funds.  It  was  agreed  that  the  Leighs 
would  supply  all  the  recipes,  and  the  plans  of  the  ovens ;  besides, 
they  were  to  make  the  ware  with  their  own  hands,  and  glaze  and 
fire  it  themselves.  On  account  of  the  density  of  the  body  the 
ware  was  called  "  Gres  Anglais,"  or  English  stoneware ;  in 
reality  it  was  cream-colour  of  the  ordinary  description.  For 
about  two  years  the  work  went  on  sluggishly,  making  little 
progress,  and  yielding  no  pecuniary  profit.  A  new  company  was 
formed  by  Houze  de  I'Aulnoit,  solicitor  and  town  clerk  ;  spacious 
premises  were  built,  a  large  number  of  hands  were  engaged,  and 
money  was  freely  poured  into  the  concern.  From  1782  to  1787 
the  business  kept  on  increasing  and  improving,  and  all  seemed  to 
promise  a  lasting  success ;  unfortunately,  the  treaty  of  commerce 
with  England,  which  allowed  English  ware  to  enter  the  kingdom 


DOUAI.  145 

at  a  nominal  rate,  rendered  further  competition  impossible,  and 
the  brilliant  expectations  entertained  at  the  commencement 
were  never  realised. 

No  compromise  was  ever  made  Avith  a  view  to  adapting  the 
productions  to  the  French  taste.  The  shapes,  modelled  by  an 
English  modeller,  were  almost  identical  reproductions  of  those 
in  vogue  at  Leeds  and  in  the  Potteries.  The  Leighs  were 
assisted  by  five  of  their  countrymen,  and  no  French  artist  or 
potter  had  a  hand  in  the  work.  Plates  with  perforated  borders, 
cruet-stands,  and  fancy  pieces  with  pierced  work,  vases  and  jugs 
with  floriated  handles,  were  all  inspired  by,  when  not  actually 
copied  from,  the  Leeds  catalogue.  The  materials  were  cream- 
colour,  red  and  black  clay,  and  agate  ware.  A  few  specimens 
are  marked  "  Leigh  &  Co.,"  impressed  in  the  clay ;  but  for  this 
mark  they  might  well  pass  muster  for  inferior  English  earthen- 
ware of  the  eighteenth  century.  The  last  oven  was  fired  in 
1820. 

A  competition  to  the  Leighs'  Company  was  started  by  one 
Dammann,  in  1799.  He  made  the  same  articles,  but  apparently 
with  little  success.     His  ware  was  marked  with  his  name  in  full. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

HouzE  DE  L'AuLNOiT. — Essal  sur  les  faiences   de  Doiiai,   dites   Gr^s 
Anglais.     Lille,  1882.     8vo. 

MONTEREAU. 

The  establishment  of  the  Montereau  earthenware  works  is 
said  to  be  due  to  W.  Clark  and  Shaw,  who  came  from  the 
Potteries,  accompanied  by  a  few  workmen  of  the  same  district, 
in  1775.  They  were  supposed  to  come  on  their  own  account, 
and  they  alleged  as  oheir  reason  for  settling  at  Montereau  the 
presence  in  the  vicinity  of  a  white  clay  of  a  still  better  quahty 
than  the  one  used  in  England.  In  all  probabihty  they  were 
subsidised  by  some  French  capitalists,  whose  names  have  never 

K 


146  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

transpired.  At  any  rate,  they  were  supported  by  local  influence, 
for  in  the  very  year  of  their  arrival  they  obtained  from  the  town 
an  annual  grant  of  1,200  livres.  No  particulars  have  come  to 
hand  as  to  the  progress  of  the  manufacture  during  the  first  twenty 
years.  They  made  Queen's  ware  and  "  terre  de  pipe,"  and  not 
without  success.  One  Merlin  Hall  was  the  last  English  director. 
The  business  had  passed  entirely  into  French  hands,  and  there 
was  no  longer  question  of  English  partners  when,  in  1794,  it  had 
reached  such  proportions  that  it  was  thought  expedient  to  open 
a  new  branch  at  Creil.  Good  management  had  enabled  the 
Montereau  works  to  stand  against  the  trying  consequences  of 
the  Treaty  of  Commerce,  and  to  traverse,  unaffected,  the  period 
of  a  social  upheaval  which  had  ruined  many  other  factories. 
The  Creil  branch  was  placed  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  de  Saint- 
Crick,  and  it  was  soon  as  prosperous  as  the  head  centre. 
Transfer  printing  was  for  the  first  time  in  France  currently 
practised  upon  faience.  Dinner  services  decorated  in  that 
manner  had  a  great  sale.  They  were  printed  in  black  over  the 
glaze  with  figure  subjects  and  views  of  towns  or  monuments. 
Many  of  them  remain  to  show  that  the  process  was  never 
perfectly  mastered ;  the  impressions  are  pale  and  blurred,  and 
very  far  from  approaching  the  neatness  and  brilliance  of  the 
English  transfer  printing  on  earthenware. 

SARREGUEMINES. 

Regular  "  faience  fine,"  after  the  fashion  of  Alsace — that  is  to 
say,  a  yellow  ware  covered  with  a  transparent  glaze — was  at  first 
manufactured  at  Sarreguemines  by  Paul  Utzschneider  towards 
1775.  It  was  only  at  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century 
that  the  English  processes  were  adopted  in  all  their  varieties. 
The  price  lists  published  in  1810  contain  nothing  which  is  not 
described  as  being  "  in  the  English  taste."  Thus  they  made 
Queen's  ware,  black  basalt,  and  especially  agate  and  marbled 
ware.    Choice  specimens  of  these  might  be  called  quite  excellent 


SARREGUEMINES.  147 

if   we  could  discard  the  recollection  of  Wedgwood's   similar 
productions,  to  which  they  are  vastly  inferior. 

An  immeasurable  span  stretches  between  the  bright  and 
lively  faience  of  Rouen  and  Nevers  and  the  formal  and  cold 
earthenware  made  in  France  less  than  a  century  afterwards. 
Disjointed  as  seems  the  filiation,  the  latter  was  the  consequence 
of  the  former.  The  ware  of  the  Franco-English  potter  has  little 
to  attract  our  fancy  ;  yet  it  cannot  be  ignored.  In  it  we  see  the 
source  of  all  modern  pottery.  A  brief  record  of  its  modest 
commencements  assumes  a  certain  interest  when  we  compare 
its  early  conditions  to  the  amazing  ceramic  industry  that  was 
to  be  derived  from  it. 


THE    REVIVAL 


THE    ART    OF    FAIENCE    PAINTING. 


THE  REVIVAL  OF  THE  ART   OF   FAIEXCE  PAINTING 

Faiexce  painting,  as  an  art,  was  dead  and  forgotten  during 
the  first  part  of  the  nineteenth  century.  Its  dying  days  had 
been  grotesque,  and  no  one  cared  whether  it  would  ever  be 
revived.  As  a  trade  it  still  found  its  application  in  the  pencil- 
ling of  social  and  revolutionary  emblems  much  appreciated  by 
the  rural  politician,  and  of  the  "  gay  "  rose  which  his  wife  found 
greatly  to  her  taste.  But  the  treatment  of  all  these  popular 
subjects  had  gradually  become  so  crude  and  coarse  that  any- 
thing which  looked  like  painted  faience  was  rejected,  by  the 
fastidious  inhabitants  of  the  town,  as  thoroughly  objectionable. 

Another  cause  of  this  disfavour  was  that  radical  improve- 
ments in  the  manufacture  of  hard  porcelain  had  brought  a 
new  ware  within  the  reach  of  the  middle  classes.  So  beautiful 
was  its  white  and  pure  substance  that  a  costly  decoration 
could  well  be  dispensed  with.  This  gave  rise  to  a  prefer- 
ence for  plain  surfaces ;  from  porcelain  the  taste  soon  extended 
to  faience  and  earthenware,  which  it  became  fashionable  to 
use  in  the  white.  Nothing  that  might  recall  the  vulgarity  of 
the  painted  soup  plates  and  salad  dishes  sold  on  the  market- 
place could  be  tolerated  in  a  house  furnished  with  any  preten- 
sion to  good  taste  and  refinement.  Pottery  decoration  was  on 
the  point  of  being  completely  banished ;  a  few  subjects  in 
black  transfer-printing  found  an  exception  to  this  general  rule, 
but  only  on  account  of  the  novelty  of  the  process  just  intro- 
duced by  some  English  potters. 

I  am  not  forgetting  that,  at  the  time  I  am  speaking  of, 
handsomely  and  expensively  decorated  wares  were  still  required 


152  FRENCH    FAIENCE. 

for  the  palace  and  the  mansion.  In  the  porcelain  manufactories 
the  noble  and  the  wealthy  could  obtain  the  gratification  of 
their  most  extravagant  fancies.  But  the  faience  decorator, 
whose  popular  talent  had  long  supplied  all  classes  with 
artistically-painted  vessels,  had  completely  disappeared,  and,  as 
I  have  just  said,  faience  painting,  as  an  art,  was  dead  and 
forgotten. 

Here  I  beg  leave  to  introduce  a  few  words  by  way  of  vindi- 
cation of  a  fascinating  pursuit,  mercilessly  scoffed  at  by  the 
witty,  and  severely  censured  by  the  wise,  as  soon  as  it  threatened 
to  take  an  extensive  development.  While  the  debased  handi- 
crafts of  the  day  were  sinking  to  the  lowest  level,  and  all  the 
traditions  of  a  glorious  past  were  being  well-nigh  forgotten,  a 
small  group  of  spirited  men,  gifted  with  inborn  taste  and 
guided  by  a  fast-growing  experience,  were  actively  engaged 
in  hunting  out  and  quietly  hoarding  up  the  relics  of  the 
departed  arts  which  the  living  generation  was  ruthlessly  dis- 
carding as  old-fashioned  and  worthless  incumbrances.  The 
collecting  rage  was  still  in  its  embryonic  state,  and  yet  the 
results  achieved  by  these  few  members  of  the  gentle  craft  were 
nothing  short  of  astounding.  It  is  strange  that  the  part  played 
by  the  collector  of  "  curiosities,"  as  he  Avas  called,  in  the  artistic 
revival  that  was  taking  place  at  that  moment  should  have  been 
so  completely  misinterpreted.  A  collector  was  represented  as  a 
kind  of  harmless  monomaniac,  piling  up,  aimlessly,  a  host  of 
nondescript  oddities,  with  no  possible  profit  to  himself  or  to 
others ;  he  was  above  all  taunted  with  unpardonable  selfish- 
ness for  wasting  upon  futile  antiquities  the  money  that  would 
have  been  so  much  better  employed  in  supporting  the  indus- 
tries of  his  own  country.  The  character  of  the  true  collector, 
his  influence  on  the  transformation  of  public  taste,  should  not 
suffer  from  the  recollection  of  a  caricature  which  no  judicious 
person  could  ever  take  as  a  portrait.  It  ought  to  be  recollected 
that  by  redeeming  from  their  hiding  place,  rescuing  from  im- 
pending destruction,  and  bringing  into  full  light  masterpieces 


THE  REVIVAL  OF  FAIENCE  PAINTING.  153 

of  workmansliip  of  unparalleled  excellence,  tlie  collector  has, 
unquestionably,  headed  the  revolutionary  movement  of  his  epoch 
and  done  more  than  anybody  else  in  arousing  from  their  inertia 
the  various  branches  of  decorative  art. 

A  cabinet  of  curiosities — the  compound  term  "  Works  of 
industrial  Ai't "  had  not  yet  been  coined — offered  a  miscellaneous 
assemblage  of  objects  which,  undeniably  artistic  as  they  were 
in  their  scope,  had  not  yet  received  admittance  into  pubhc 
museums.  Connoisseurs  and  artists  were  always  welcome  to 
inspect  and  study  the  treasures  accumulated  by  a  liberal- 
minded  collector.  In  the  contrast  that  these  choice  productions 
of  the  past  presented  to  all  that  was  made  at  the  moment 
the  appreciative  visitor  found  ample  food  for  cogitation.  At  the 
sight  of  the  marvels  revealed  to  them  for  the  first  time,  the 
designer,  the  carver,  the  painter — in  short,  all  craftsmen  of  the 
higher  grade — became  suddenly  alive  to  the  sense  of  their  own 
capacity,  and  strove,  from  that  moment,  to  impart  to  their 
work  at  least  a  reflex  of  the  genius  and  the  talent  that  pervaded 
the  creations  of  the  old  masters. 

It  should  always  be  recollected  that,  if  the  stupendous 
museums  formed  shortly  afterwards,  on  a  similar  plan,  have  done 
so  much  to  improve  the  tendencies  of  all  artistic  industries  by 
providing  for  the  higher  education  of  industrial  artists,  their 
formation  was  chiefly  due  to  the  influence  exerted  by  the 
eclectic  amateur,  and  the  immense  interest  elicited  by  the 
private  collections. 

Among  the  household  ornaments  which  a  sweeping  change 
in  the  public  taste  had  condemned  as  vulgar  and  unseemly, 
none  had  been  more  abruptly  put  out  of  sight  by  their  owner 
than  the  articles  of  old-fashioned  faience.  Eegardless  of  this 
unjust  verdict,  the  early  collector  gave  a  large  share  of 
attention  to  the  ancient  vessels  of  painted  clay,  for  which  he 
entertained  a  marked  predilection.  Such  an  immense  quantity 
of  decorative  ware  had  been  manufactured  in  France,  that,  as 
long  as  he  remained  the  isolated  explorer  of  an  untrodden  field, 


154  FRENCH    FAIENCE. 

the  harvest  he  gathered  in  his  researches  was  as  precious  as  it 
was  abundant. 

Let  us,  now,  represent  to  ourselves  what  must  have  been  the 
feelings  of  an  earnest  man,  conscious  of  the  degraded  state  of  the 
manufactures  of  his  time,  when  brought  face  to  face  with  the  finest 
examples  of  Palissy  ware,  or  of  the  Nevers,  Rouen,  and  Moustiers 
faience  of  the  best  period,  proudly  staged  m  the  cabinets  of  the 
collector  in  imposing  array.  Excited  by  such  an  inspiring 
display,  a  fervid  ambition  to  revive  the  forgotten  art  and  to 
produce  anew  ceramic  marvels  was  bound  to  arise  within  the 
brains  of  the  few  admirers  who  felt  themselves  bold  enough  to 
make  the  attempt.  Strenuous  efforts  were  prosecuted  with  a 
view  to  recovering  the  lost  secrets  of  the  faience  painter,  and  it 
must  be  said,  to  the  credit  of  the  collector,  that  the  first  experi- 
ments found  in  him  an  enlightened  patron  and  a  most  liberal 
supporter. 

A  curious  tale  could  be  written  about  those  probationary 
times,  and  the  singular  individualities  that  the  fad  of  a  moment, 
and  the  interest  created  by  their  mysterious  experiments, 
brought  into  notice,  fifty  or  sixty  years  ago.  In  the  gallery  of 
the  collector,  and  in  the  studio  of  the  artist,  certain  erratic  and 
impecunious  persons  could  often  be  met  with  who  gave 
themselves  out  as  the  "  arcanists "  of  faience-making.  They 
boasted  no  special  qualification  either  as  chemists  or  potters, 
but  they  dabbled  with  glazes  and  colours,  and  exulted  in  the 
firm  conviction  that  Destiny  had  marked  them  out  to  be  the 
renovators  of  ceramic  art.  No  precise  information  concerning 
their  doings  could  be  obtained  from  them ;  they  looked  grave 
and  suspicious,  and  repeatedly  hinted  at  some  researches  and 
discoveries  just  on  the  point  of  completion,  which  had 
only  to  come  into  light  to  show  that  the  modern  potter  had 
nothing  to  envy  in  the  greatest  masters  of  ancient  times. 
The  names  of  "  Bernard "  and  "  Luca "  recurred  constantly  in 
their  discourses.  In  their  own  estimation,  a  kindred  nature  of 
soul  and  of  genius,  which  connected   their   intellectual  being 


THE  REVIVAL  OF  FAIENCE   PAINTING.  155 

with  the  spirits  of  PaHssy  and  Delia  Kobbia,  warranted  this 
brotherly  appellation. 

Little  was  known  about  the  worldly  circumstances  of  these 
eccentric  personages;  they  managed,  however,  to  excite  sym- 
pathy and  to  inspire  a  certain  degree  of  confidence.  It  was 
accepted  that  they  were  the  pioneers  of  the  coming  science, 
and  that,  so  far,  poverty  and  ill-luck  had  hampered  their 
labours  and  retarded  their  assured  success.  The  dingy  hovel, 
dignified  by  the  name  of  laboratory,  and  the  rickety  kiln  built 
vfith  their  own  hands,  in  which  their  cryptic  operations  were 
performed,  were  forbidden  ground.  Occasionally,  however, 
some  faithful  believer  was  admitted  into  the  precincts  and 
permitted  to  have  a  peep  at  the  latest  trials.  Had  the  genius 
loci  been  an  adept  of  the  black  art,  the  practice  of  his 
magical  incantations  could  not  have  excited  more  reveren- 
tial curiosity  than  the  production  of  his  surprising  achieve- 
ments as  a  transcendental  potter.  As  a  matter  of  course, 
the  privileged  visitor  who  had  enjoyed  such  a  rare  favour 
hastened  to  circulate,  within  the  circle  of  his  acquaintances, 
a  glowing  account  of  the  promise  yielded  by  all  that  he 
had  seen.  Then  it  happened  that  some  good-natured  art 
critic,  moved  by  the  forsaken  conditions  of  one  of  these  outlaws 
of  the  ceramic  art,  ventured  to  insert  a  notice  of  his  life  and 
work  in  some  influential  periodical.  The  article  narrated, 
with  heart-rending  pathos,  the  story  of  the  sufferings,  the 
hopes  and  the  disappointments  that  the  down-trodden  potter 
had  had  to  go  through  in  his  search  after  the  Unknown, 
and  it  ended  in  foretelling  the  triumphant  finish  which  was 
soon  to  crown  so  many  years  of  toilsome  ordeal.  Little  more 
was  wanted  to  bring  the  man  into  momentary  notoriety,  and 
the  commonplace  original  of  a  highly  fanciful  literary  sketch 
hastened  to  profit  by  the  interest  thus  thrown  upon  his  name. 

These  irregular  forerunners  of  the  true  renovators  of  a  dis- 
used art  formed  a  rather  mixed  group.  Some  were  mere  impostors 
who,  during  their  short  stay  in  the  various  factories  where  they 


156  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

had  found  casual  employment,  had  acquired  a  smattering  ot 
pottery  manufacture.  This  enabled  them  to  present,  with 
a  great  flow  of  technical  terms,  alluring  schemes  and  projects, 
framed  with  sufficient  cunning  to  impose  upon  friendly  credulity. 
Elaborate  preparations  were  set  on  foot,  on  their  suggestion,  at 
the  expense  of  their  dupes,  but,  as  a  rule,  they  did  not  lead 
to  anything  of  practical  value. 

Others  were,  on  the  contrary,  thoroughly  honest  in  their 
purpose;  but  they  were  often  no  more  than  self-deluded 
dreamers,  miscalculating  the  range  of  their  possibilities,  and 
although  full  of  glorious  aspirations,  quite  as  incapable  of 
lending  real  assistance  to  the  movement  as  the  unscrupulous 
deceiver.  Heedless  of  their  utter  ignorance  of  the  most 
elementary  rules,  these  aspirants  to  ceramic  fame  were  cease- 
lessly concocting  random  mixtures  of  chemical  substances, 
and  making  trials  of  colours  that  would  not  develop,  and 
glazes  that  would  not  shine,  upon  pots  that  would  always  break. 
Any  result  that  was  not  a  complete  failure  was  to  them  a  step 
towards  the  coming  victory.  Naturally  enough  they  valued 
their  miserable  achievements  in  proportion  to  the  trouble  they 
had  taken  in  producing  them. 

The  Marquis  of  Monestrol  is  to  be  remembered  as  the 
most  accomplished  personification  of  the  type.  A  fanatic 
admirer  of  pot-making  and  of  its  mysteries,  the  impoverished 
marquis  set  up  a  very  scantily  equipped  workshop  in  the 
small  village  of  Rungis,  near  Orleans.  There  he  lived  for 
years  in  absolute  seclusion,  throwing,  glazing  and  baking  pots 
with  his  own  hands,  and  after  his  own  ideas.  Anxious 
to  have  all  the  credit  of  his  discoveries,  he  declined  to  receive 
any  advice  from  practical  potters.  His  ambition  was  to  be 
regarded  by  his  contemporaries  as  a  modern  Palissy.  He  was 
proud  to  relate  that,  in  his  lonelj'  retreat  and  in  the  course  of 
his  experiments,  he  had  suffered  the  same  misfortunes,  ill- 
success,  and  privations  as  the  legendary  hero.  As  a  counterpart 
to  Palissy's    memoirs  ho    published,  under   the   title    of    "Le 


THE  REVIVAL  OF  FAIENCE  PAANTING.  157 

Potier  de  Rungis,"  a  poem  in  twenty-sis  cantos,  in  which  the 
tale  of  the  struggles  he  had  manfully  sustained  against  an  inexor- 
able fatality,  which  always  defeated  his  best  matured  plans,  was 
unfolded  in  pathetic  but  execrable  verse.  In  all  other  respects 
than  his  unfortunate  passion  for  the  ceramic  art — a  life-long 
attachment  which  was  never  to  be  requited — Monestrol  is  said 
to  have  been  a  man  of  remarkable  intellect. 

Meantime  some  good  work  was  being  done,  apart  from  the 
false  pretences  of  the  quack  and  the  despicable  failures  of  the 
crank.  A  few  sincere  and  painstaking  enthusiasts  —  half 
potters,  half  artists — had  been  prosecuting  researches  m  the 
right  direction,  and  could  show  some  really  creditable  results. 
Their  aim  was  to  produce  an  artistic  pottery  that  could  stand 
close  comparison  with  the  best  works  of  the  Renaissance  times, 
then  considered  as  inimitable.  They  copied  Palissy  ware, 
Nevers  and  Rouen  faience.  To  the  great  astonishment  of  all 
those  interested  in  the  matter,  and  probably  to  their  own  surprise 
also,  some  of  the  copies  happened  to  be  almost  as  good  as  the 
originals.  Far  from  confessing,  however,  that  the  success  was 
due  to  a  judicious  use  of  the  regular  traditions  of  the  faience- 
maker,  still  partially  preserved  in  the  trade,  they  surrounded 
their  operations  with  increased  mystery,  and  talked  louder 
than  ever  of  the  arduous  difficulties  they  had  had  to  over- 
come. No  one  was  prepared  to  contest  the  veracity  of  their 
pretensions,  and  the  outcome  of  their  simple  discovery  was 
acclaimed  as  an  astounding  revelation. 

It  must  be  said  that  the  sanguine  and  confident  amateur 
of  the  time  was  but  too  ready  to  admire  blindly  anything 
that  appealed  to  his  love  of  the  ceramic  art.  So  intense  was 
his  infatuation  for  the  old  faience,  that  any  tolerable  repro- 
duction made  by  a  modern  potter,  was  to  him  a  wonderful 
performance.  His  ill-grounded  judgment  seemed  to  court 
deception ;  and  many  an  impudent  forgery  gained  access  to 
his  collections  without  having  raised  the  slightest  suspicion. 

It   was   in   those   days   that   a   Palissy  dish  of  exceptional 


158  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

dimensions  was  purchased  for  20,000  francs,  a  record  price,  by 
Dr.  J.  Cloquet.  The  specimen  Avas  the  envy  of  all  collectors ; 
but  their  hope  of  securing  it  at  any  cost,  if  ever  it  came  into 
the  market,  was  baffled  by  the  doctor  bequeathing  his  treasure 
to  the  Louvre  Museum.  I  remember  having  seen  the  dish 
exhibited  in  a  special  glass  case  in  the  faience  gallery,  where 
it  was  the  cjaiosure  of  all  eyes.  The  centre  of  the  huge  piece 
was  occupied  by  a  large  red  lobster.  This  was  Avell  calculated 
to  astonish  the  connoisseurs,  for  Palissy  had  never,  included 
the  lobster  among  the  "  Bestioles "  with  which  he  was  wont 
to  adorn  his  ware  ;  moreover,  he  was  not  known  to  have  used 
a  red  colour  on  any  other  piece.  Either  for  these  reasons 
or  for  some  other,  doubts  were,  at  last,  entertained  as  to 
the  genuineness  of  the  piece,  and  it  was  carefully  exammed. 
A  cut  with  a  steel  blade  into  its  shining  surface  disclosed 
the  unpalatable  fact  that  the  substance  the  dish  was  made 
of  was  mere  mastic,  while  the  supposed  enamels  were 
nothing  else  than  varnish  colours.  The  article  was  imme- 
diately transferred  into  the  lumber  room  of  the  museum, 
where  it  is  now  resting  in  peace. 

The  name  of  Avisseau,  of  Tours,  heads  the  list  of  those 
who  presented,  for  the  first  time,  an  artistic  pottery  of  their 
own,  quite  as  attractive  as  the  average  productions  of  the 
old  masters.  Avisseau  had  served  his  aj)prenticeship  as 
a  potter  and  as  a  common  faience  painter.  In  1825  he  was 
made  manager  of  a  small  factory.  Deeply  dissatisfied  with 
the  drudgery  he  had  to  go  through  every  day  in  the 
village  pot-works,  where  nothing  but  the  cheapest  crocks 
were  manufactured,  he  sighed  for  the  day  when  he  should 
find  an  opportunity  of  improving  his  knowledge  and  acquir- 
ing some  practical  ability.  The  direction  his  efforts  were 
to  take  was  determined  by  the  sight  of  a  fine  Palissy  dish 
that  was  one  day  shown  to  him.  His  surprise  and  admiration 
were  unbounded ;  he  had  never  suspected  that  so  much 
refinement  and  beauty  could  bo  obtained  on  a  piece  made  of 


THE  REVIVAL   OF   FAIENCE  PAINTING.  159 

ordinaiy  clay.  The  perusal  of  the  romantic  history  of  the 
potter  of  Saintes  acted  as  a  keen  incentive  to  his  mind. 
He  formed  the  resolution  of  recovering  the  secrets  that  Palissy 
was  said  to  have  carried  away  with  him  to  the  grave,  and  to 
take  no  rest  until  that  end  had  been  achieved.  Fifteen  years, 
it  is  said,  were  spent  in  misdirected  trials — years  of  trouble 
and  miser}^ — before  he  mastered  at  last  the  mystery  of  the 
coloured  glazes. 

The  stor}^  of  the  harrowing  difficulties  he  had  to  face  for  the 
sake  of  his  art — a  period  of  endless  tribulations  which  made  him, 
as  it  were,  a  second  incarnation  of  the  old  French  potter — was 
opportunely  circulated;  it  contributed  not  a  little  to  direct 
public  attention  to  the  first  examples  of  ornamental  pottery 
that  Avisseau  exhibited  in  1845.  A  few  years  afterwards  his 
fame  was  firmly  established,  and  the  most  influential  con- 
noisseurs had  taken  his  work  under  their  patronage. 

The  modest  house  in  which  he  lived  and  worked  was 
situated  in  the  vicinity  of  Tours,  on  the  banks  of  the  Loire ; 
it  was  surrounded  with  a  neat  little  garden,  where  the  potter 
cultivated  the  plants  and  kept  the  small  stock  of  living  reptiles 
and  insects  he  copied  in  the  ornamentation  of  his  ware ;  it  was 
his  pride  to  assert  that  nature  alone  inspired  his  conceptions 
and  supplied  his  models.  A  son  and  a  daughter,  both  talented 
modellers  and  painters,  assisted  him  in  his  work.  Visitors 
came  from  all  parts  to  see  the  atelier,  and  make  the  acquaint- 
ance of  the  self-made  artist,  the  ingenious  craftsman  who  had 
had  to  discover  anew  the  lost  technical  processes  he  required, 
before  he  could  invest  with  the  perfection  of  fictile  form  the 
quaint  conceits  of  his  imagination.  A  cordial  welcome  was 
extended  to  all;  and  it  goes  without  saying  that  no  one  left 
the  place  without  having  secured,  for  adequate  consideration, 
a  memento  of  an  interesting  visit. 

Avisseau's  early  facsimiles  of  Palissy  ware  are  very  superior 
to  the  pieces  he  made  after  his  own  design  ;  these  latter,  which 
savour  highly  of  the  "  romantique "  taste  of  the  period,  strike 


160  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

ns  as  pretentious  and  extravagant.  The  Victoria  and  Albert 
Museum  has  a  few  examples  of  Avisseau  faience ;  we  notice 
that  the  glaze  is  thin  and  dull,  and  the  colours  pale  and  weak. 
It  would  be  difficult  to  understand  the  cause  of  its  success,  it 
we  did  not  bear  in  mind  that,  for  a  time,  the  maker  remained 
alone  in  his  speciaHty,  and  also  that  the  pen  of  the  art  critic, 
which  makes  and  unmakes  transient  reputations,  had  been 
particularly  busy  concerning  the  potter  of  Tours  and  his 
wonderful  creations. 

Pull  was  soon  afterwards  to  enter  into  the  path  opened  by 
Avisseau.  He  made  the  same  pretensions  to  being  a  worthy 
successor  of  Palissy,  and  to  having  acquired  his  knowledge  of 
pottery  at  the  cost  of  many  years  spent  in  labours  and  dis- 
appointments. The  new-comer  stuck  almost  exclusivel}^  to  the 
reproduction  of  the  old  models,  and  he  executed  his  replicas 
with  an  accuracy  that  left  little  to  be  desired.  Collectors 
may  have  cause  to  regret  the  perfection  of  the  work ;  many  of 
his  copies  have  passed  muster  as  original  pieces,  and  it  is  as 
such  that  they  have  found  a  place  in  some  of  the  finest 
collections.  The  art  potters  of  the  time  had  their  show  at  the 
Agricultural  and  Industrial  Exhibitions.  On  these  occasions 
Pull  easily  distanced  all  his  competitors.  One  of  them,  Bar- 
bizet,  gave  a  more  commercial  turn  to  the  business.  He  under- 
took to  make  "  Palissys  "  for  the  million.  For  years  small  articles 
of  his  manufacture,  decorated  in  the  "  rustic  "  style  with  shells, 
fishes  and  reptiles,  and  to  be  had  at  prices  varying  from  a 
few  sous  to  a  few  francs,  filled  the  bazaars  of  the  towns  and 
the  seaside  shops.  They  had  little  ceramic  value.  Plighly 
fusible  glazes  were  running  over  an  underfired  biscuit ;  a 
bright  scarlet  red  was  added  by  the  apphcation  of  a  solution 
of  sealing-wax.  Very  few  specimens  of  Barbizet's  production, 
considerable  as  it  was,  have  escaped  destruction.  They  never 
entered  the  French  collections.  A  few  of  them,  however, 
have  drifted  into  the  minor  museums  ol'  foreign  countries, 
where  I  have  seen  thorn  confidently  labelled,  "  Palissy  ware." 


THE   REVIVAL   OF  FAIENCE  PAINTING.  161 

Greater  difficulties  had  to  be  encountered,  before  satisfactory 
imitations  of  the  various  types  of  faience  with  stanniferous 
enamel  could  be  obtained,  than  had  been  the  case  with  the 
making  of  embossed  pottery  coloured  with  variegated  glazes. 
Not  only  were  the  processes  of  manufacture  much  more  compli- 
cated, but  the  ware  had  to  be  fired  in  a  regular  oven,  instead  of 
a  small  muffle  kiln — a  costly  requirement  which  placed  the 
practice  of  the  art  out  of  the  reach  of  many.  It  is  true  that  to 
be  enabled  to  produce  a  fair  reproduction  of  the  Nevers  and 
Kouen  faience  it  was  merely  a  question  of  settling  the  simple 
composition  of  the  metalHc  colours  used  in  the  ancient  factories ; 
good  white  faience  with  a  fine  enamel  was  still  manufactured 
for  the  common  trade,  and  the  making  of  the  ware  had  not, 
therefore,  to  trouble  the  would-be  reproducer  of  old  models- 
The  first  essays  had  been  started,  not  by  practical  potters,  but  by 
artists  who,  although  unacquainted  with  chemical  manipulation, 
persisted  in  preparing  with  their  own  hands  the  colours  they 
required.  They  were  rather  sIoav  ui  arriving  at  a  reliable  result ; 
but,  as  soon  as  they  had  secured  the  fewest  possible  pigments, 
they  presented  to  an  admiring  and  credulous  public  the  "faience 
grand  feu "  of  which  they  claimed  to  be  the  inventors.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  their  pieces  were  made  after  the  design  of  the 
artist  by  a  well-known  manufacturer,  who  also  fired  the  ware 
in  his  oven  after  it  had  received  its  decoration;  but  this 
course  of  action  had  been  followed  with  great  secrecy,  and  all 
the  credit  was  given  to  the  painter. 

Ulysse,  of  Blois,  was  to  the  revival  of  painted  faience  what 
Avisseau  had  been  to  that  of  the  Palissy  ware.  His  small  works 
were  also  situated  on  the  banks  of  the  Loire.  He  made  the 
ware  himself  on  a  small  scale,  and  he  had  his  circle  of  wealthy 
patrons,  who  encouraged  and  subsidised  his  experiments.  The 
imitations  of  Nevers  ware  that  he  produced  in  the  beginning  of 
his  career,  and  his  trials  of  metalHc  lustre  which  promised  to 
equal  those  seen  on  the  Italian  majolica,  placed  him  in  the  first 
rank  among  the  renovators  of  the  ceramic  art.     In  the  same 

L 


162  FRENCH    FAIENCE. 

town  another  probationer,  of  the  name  of  Tortat,  attracted 
momentary  attention  by  his  attempts  to  reproduce  the  Henry 
II.  ware.  If  forgery  was  intended  the  maker  cannot  be 
accused  of  having  ever  carried  it  out — his  imitations  could  not 
deceive  anyone  acquainted  with  the  originals. 

One  of  the  most  conspicuous  figures  of  the  irregulars  engaged 
in  the  movement,  and  one  from  whom  great  things  were  expected, 
was  the  Italian,  G.  Devers.  He  came  from  Turin,  and  was  said 
to  be  in  possession  of  the  secrets  of  the  ancient  majolists.  A 
short  course  of  study  in  the  ateliers  of  the  most  celebrated 
painters  and  sculptors  of  Paris  completed  his  artistic  education  ; 
he  was  then  fully  armed  to  begin  the  campaign. 

He  expounded,  with  southern  verbosity,  his  theory  on  the 
introduction  of  enamelled  faience  in  architectural  decoration ; 
the  forcible  exposition  of  his  schemes  found  many  listeners  and 
not  a  few  actual  supporters.  It  was  rumoured  that  the  mantle  of 
Andrea  della  Robbia  had  fallen  upon  his  shoulders,  and  that  the 
m.an  only  wanted  an  occasion  to  decorate  a  whole  building  to 
show  what  could  be  done  by  a  well  -  conceived  association 
of  coloured  plastic  work  with  the  other  resources  of  modern 
architecture.  Encouragement  from  private  friends  and  from 
higher  quarters  was  not  wanting.  Devers  received  a  com- 
mission to  execute  sets  of  decorative  panels  in  painted  faience 
for  the  adornment  of  some  public  monuments  then  in  course  of 
erection.  Inconsiderable  as  it  was,  the  task  was  more  than  he 
could  achieve.  His  panels  proved  a  decided  failure.  As  he  had 
in  reality  very  limited  experience  as  a  potter,  and  no  talent  as 
an  artist,  he  had  to  depend  for  the  manufacture  of  his  large 
pieces  on  the  slab-and-stove  makers  of  the  "  Rue  de  la 
Roquette,"  and  for  the  painting  of  each  article  upon  such  casual 
journeymen  painters  as  were  willing  to  work  for  him.  No  good 
work  could  possibly  be  produced  under  such  conditions.  An 
inspection  of  the  shanty  in  which  he  worked  and  where  he  kept 
the  results  of  his  empiric  experiments  would  have  enlightened 
any  unbiassed  observer   as   to   the   extent  of  Devers'   ceramic 


TEE   REVIVAL   OF   FAIENCE.  163 

abilities.  All  the  worst  faults  that  can  disfigure  a  piece  of 
pottery  badly  made,  badly  painted,  and  badly  fired,  were  amply 
represented  on  his  trials.  One  could  scarcely  understand  the 
reason  of  such  a  distressing  exhibition,  unless  it  were  to  impress 
the  visitor  with  the  sense  of  the  innumerable  difficulties  the 
great  potter  had  to  contend  with.  His  reputation  in  Paris  came 
to  an  end  on  the  first  occasion  in  which  the  validity  of  his 
pretensions  was  put  to  a  crucial  test.  Devers  returned  to  Italy, 
where,  on  the  strength  of  his  Parisian  success,  he  was  appointed 
to  a  professorship  of  ceramic  art. 

Such  were  the  men  on  whose  achievements  the  hopes  of  the 
revival  of  the  art  were  centred  at  that  moment. 

Modesty  was  certainly  not  one  of  the  failings  of  any  of  those 
who  were  fighting  theu^  way  to  the  front.  From  a  printed 
notice,  published  by  one  of  the  most  enterprising  leaders,  named 
Gaidan,  we  extract  what  follows :  "  Everybody  is  bound  to 
acknowledge  that  I  have  raised  myself  to  the  highest  position 
among  the  makers  of  artistic  pottery.  My  discoveries  are  so 
numerous  that  one  might  refuse  to  beUeve  that  they  are  the 
fruit  of  the  efforts  of  a  single  man,  but  my  fame  is  now  so  well 
established  that  my  talent  and  my  success  are  recognised  by 
all,"  and  much  more  of  it,  in  the  same  strain.  This  must  not  be 
considered  as  the  bombastic  advertisement  of  a  charlatan  want- 
ing to  throw  dust  in  the  eyes  of  the  public  ;  Gaidan  was  a  good 
potter  in  his  way.  It  was  the  candid  expression  of  the  high 
opinion  he  entertained  of  his  own  merit ;  he  saw  no  reason 
why  anyone  should  differ  from  it.  With  few  exceptions,  all  those 
who  then  meddled  with  pot-making  displaj^ed  an  equal  measure 
of  ludicrous  vanity. 

So  far  the  regular  manufacturer  had  remained  quite  uncon- 
cerned with  the  progress  that  was  being  made  entirely  through 
the  exertions  of  outsiders.  He  was  quite  willing  to  sell  white 
faience  to  the  artists  and  let  them  fire  their  work  in  his  ovens ; 
but  he  took  no  trouble  to  help  them  out  of  their  technical 
difficulties  and  blunders.     The  whole  thing  was  to  him  a  foolish 


164  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

fancy,  from  which  no  profitable  business  could  ever  be  derived. 
Yet  it  was  only  when  the  manufacturer  became  alive  to  the 
advantage  that  would  accrue  to  him  from  working  hand  in  hand 
with  artists,  and  placing  better  processes  at  their  disposal,  that 
the  making  of  artistic  pottery  began  its  course  of  sound  improve- 
ments and  entered  the  high  road  to  success. 

At  Bourg-la-Reine,  a  few  miles  from  Paris,  Laurin  was  manu- 
facturing plain  but  sound  stanniferous  faience.  The  Laurins 
were  chips  of  the  old  block ;  the  methods  that  their  fathers  had 
followed  were  preserved  by  them  in  their  integrity.  They  sold 
dishes,  plaques,  and  vases  to  all  those  who  liked  to  try  their 
hand  at  faience  painting.  Amateurs  and  artists  came  there  in 
preference,  knowing  that  they  would  get  good  biscuit  and  fine 
glaze.  One  of  the  difficulties  connected  with  this  style  of 
painting  is  that,  to  be  quite  successful,  it  must  be  executed 
on  the  dusty  coat  of  powdered  enamel  adhering  to  the  surface  of 
the  ware  before  any  firing,  except  of  the  clay,  takes  place.  This 
rendered  the  carriage  of  pieces  prepared  for  decoration  a  rather 
dehcate  affair.  On  this  account  a  few  of  the  regular  customers 
were  allowed  to  work  in  the  factory,  and  were  also  given  facilities  to 
see  their  work  through  the  firing  and  place  their  trials  in  the  oven. 
From  this  constant  association  of  labours  arose  a  community  of 
interest  between  the  manufacturer  and  the  artist ;  so,  instead  of 
remaining  isolated  and  divergent,  researches  and  improvements 
became  collective  and  co-eflQcient. 

No  one  among  the  frequenters  of  the  Laurins'  works 
showed  such  an  aptitude  for  solving  technical  problems  and 
removing  stumbling  blocks  from  the  path  of  the  faience 
painter  as  E.  Lessore.  He  soon  brought  the  composition  of 
glazes  and  metallic  colours  to  the  point  at  which  they  were 
most  bright  and  intense,  and  his  brush  was  uncommonly  skilful 
in  bringing  out  charming  effects  from  their  harmonious  com- 
binations. His  style  marked  a  frank  departure  from  the  imitation 
of  the  ancient  types.  A  rapid  outline  sketch  in  pure  manganese, 
relieved  with  occasional  patches  of  blue,  yellow  and  green,  con- 


THE    REVIVAL   OF    FAIENCE   PAINTING.  165 

stituted  his  usual  scheme  of  colour.  The  essays  he  made  for  the 
production  of  ruby  lustre  were  also  very  successful ;  but  although 
his  lustre  was  easiiy  obtained  upon  a  white  piece,  he  could 
never  fire  any  other  colours  in  association  with  it.  He  laid 
especial  stress  on  the  technical  excellence  of  his  work,  and  did 
not  trouble  much  about  the  originality  of  his  designs.  The 
Lessore  faience  is,  with  a  few  unimportant  exceptions,  painted 
with  very  free  renderings  of  ancient  engravings.  Laurin  offered 
him  a  permanent  engagement,  which  he  accepted  and  kept  for 
a  few  years ;  by  far  his  best  works  belong  to  that  period  of  his 
life.  He  left  to  join  the  Imperial  manufactory  of  Sevres.  But 
his  rough  and  sketchy  style  did  not  suit  dainty  porcelain ;  the 
eccentricity  and  independence  of  his  ways  could  not  accommo- 
date themselves  to  the  exigencies  of  an  officially  conducted 
establishment,  so  this  ill-assorted  connection  was  shortly 
severed,  to  the  advantage  of  both  parties.  He  then  resolved  to 
try  his  fortune  in  England.  Talent  was  sure  of  a  hearty 
welcome  at  the  factory  of  Messrs.  Minton,  and  Lessore  was  at 
once  admitted  to  make  preliminary  experiments.  His  work 
was  much  admired,  but  did  not  offer  any  of  the  attractive 
qualities  that  would  insure  a  large  patronage;  the  conditions 
that  could  be  offered  to  him  fell  short  of  the  expectations  he 
had  formed;  he  therefore  retired  highly  disappointed  from 
Minton's  works,  and  made  arrangements  with  the  firm  of 
Messrs.  Josiah  Wedgwood  and  Sons.  After  having  worked 
at  Etruria  for  a  few  years,  still  troubled  by  his  insatiable 
longing  for  change  of  place,  he  obtained  from  his  em- 
ployers permission  to  return  to  his  cottage  at  Marlotte, 
near  Fontainebleau,  and  there  he  decorated  the  ware  that 
was  sent  to  him  from  England  in  large  consignments.  This 
agreement  lasted  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  EngUsh 
collectors  are  well  acquainted  with  Lessore's  faience  painting's. 
They  all  show  a  good  understanding  of  colour  and  effect; 
the  treatment  is  remarkably  bold  and  spirited.  No  special 
example,   however,  could  be  singled    out  from   his    countless 


166  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

productions  as  a  true  model  of  ceramic  art.  He  was  so  fully 
impressed  with  the  idea  that  a  piece  of  faience  was  above  all 
an  article  of  trade,  and  that  a  ceramic  artist  had  to  turn  out 
an  immense  quantity  of  work  if  he  wanted  to  make  a  living 
out  of  it,  that  he  never  attempted  to  surpass  himself  and 
execute  the  masterpiece  that  no  artist  ever  fails  to  perfect,  on 
certain  occasions,  for  the  love  of  his  art  and  the  sake  of 
his  reputation.  The  earthenware  Lessore  has  painted  in,  or 
for,  England  discloses  this  constant  pre-occupation  for  rapidity 
of  execution  and  cheapness  of  cost  even  more  than  the  pieces 
he  produced  in  his  own  country. 

Chapelet  was  one  of  the  pupils  whom  Lessore  trained  at 
Bourg-la-Reine.  He  painted  in  the  style  of  his  master,  and 
was  for  long  the  chief  artist  attached  to  Laurins'  works. 
To  him  was  due  the  introduction  of  a  process  destined  to  have 
a  success  as  sudden  and  complete  as  it  was  to  be  short- 
lived, viz :  "  Barbotine  painting."  It  consisted  in  mixing 
fusible  colours  with  clay  and  opaque  substances,  so  that 
they  could  be  employed  in  any  degree  of  thiclmess  ;  the  sharp- 
ness of  the  artist's  touch  was  not  impaired  by  the  firing; 
when  completed,  the  work  had  the  appearance  of  an  oil 
painting.  Artists  patronised  with  enthusiasm  a  process  which 
seemed  to  offer  unbounded  resources.  At  Haviland's  porce- 
lain works,  where  Chapelet  imported  it,  it  found  the 
most  clever  exponents.  I  remember  the  days  when,  on 
the  stands  of  a  ceramic  exhibition,  or  in  the  windows  of  a 
fashionable  china  shop,  all  the  best  places  were  occupied  by 
dishes  and  vases  painted  in  "Barbotine."  This  likeness  to 
oil  painting,  so  highly  praised  in  the  new  method,  was  pre- 
cisely the  cause  of  its  falling  rapidly  into  discredit.  The 
efifect  was  not  truly  ceramic.  Within  a  couple  of  years  every 
piece  of  "  Barbotine "  had  discreetly  disappeared  from  all 
the  places  where  they  had,  for  a  short  season,  figured  with 
so  much  honour.  Chapelet  gave  up  painting  to  devote  all 
his   time  to  the    research  for  technical  novelties.     His  name 


THE   REVIVAL   OF   FAIENCE   PAINTING.  167 

must  always  be  remembered  in  connection  with  the  first 
essays  of  "  rouge  flambe,"  and  also  with  the  production  of  a 
large  variety  of  coloured  glazes,  blended  in  marbling,  sprink- 
ling and  veining,  of  all  possible  and  impossible  hues. 

Michel  Bouquet,  the  landscape  painter,  was  never  attached 
to  the  Laurin  factory ;  but  as  he  brought  his  work  there  to  be 
fired,  he  was,  to  some  extent,  connected  with  the  place.  I 
have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  a  plaque  by  M.  Bouquet 
stands  apart  from  all  ceramic  painting  of  every  description 
as  embodying,  in  an  almost  perfect  form,  the  notion  of  using 
ordinary  vitrifiable  colours  in  the  rendering  of  purely  pic- 
torial subjects.  The  treatment  is  highly  finished,  but  without 
undue  minuteness ;  delicate  shades  are  skilfully  contrasted 
with  powerful  tints;  the  general  effect  is  always  true  to 
nature.  If  we  compare  it  with  a  valued  canvas,  the  plaque 
will  hold  its  own  and  lose  nothing  of  its  intrinsic  qualities  ; 
but  it  does  not  suggest  any  pretension  to  an  imitation  of 
oil  painting.  Owing  to  the  true  method  employed  in  its 
execution — which  consists  in  painting  upon  the  white  enamel, 
in  the  povv^dery  state,  with  the  elementary  metallic  pigments 
which  alone  can  stand  the  oven's  fire — it  retains  an 
absolutely  ceramic  character. 

Bouquet  was  a  constant  exhibitor  at  the  Paris  Salon.  His 
work  has  remained  in  private  hands,  and  is  never  seen  in 
the  trade.  Neglected  as  his  plaques  may  be  at  the  present 
day,  they  have  only  to  be  better  known  to  be  appreciated  as 
they  deserve.  The  time  is  not  far  removed  when  the  task  of 
illustrating  with  adequate  examples  the  phases  of  a  highly 
interesting  revival  will  be  taken  in  hand  by  appreciative  col- 
lectors. Bouquet's  landscapes  on  faience  will  then  be  eagerly 
sought  after  as  representing  the  most  striking  mstance  of  the 
old  processes  having  yielded  results  undreamed  of  by  the 
ancients,  when  cleverly  handled  by  a  modern  painter. 

Gustave  Noel,  another  ceramic  artist,  followed,  later  on, 
in  the  same   track;    he  has  left    many    reahstic    landscapes 


168  FRENCH    FAIENCE. 

executed  in  an  equally  legitimate  manner,  and  not  unworthy 
of  notice.  For  years  Noel  held  periodic  sales  in  Paris,  in 
which  the  current  work  left  on  his  hands  was  disposed  of  by 
auction. 

It  is  not  possible  to  enumerate  all  the  artists  and  amateurs 
who,  at  some  time  in  their  career,  used  the  Laurins'  faience  and 
had  their  work  fired  in  their  ovens.  Special  mention  must  be 
made,  however,  of  two  gifted  ladies — Madame  Moreau-Nelaton, 
whose  fanciful  productions  were  much  admired,  and  Madame 
Escaher,  who  found  the  highest  expression  of  her  truly  decorative 
feelings  in  the  painting  of  bold  and  effective  flowers  upon  broad 
dishes  and  large  vases. 

Above  the  names  of  all  those  who  contributed  in  various 
degree  to  the  advance  of  the  art,  that  of  the  potter  Theodore 
Deck  stands  out  conspicuously.  His  achievements  summed  up 
and  crowned  all  the  partial  progress  individually  made  in  the 
collective  movement.  If  a  consistent  association  of  technical 
superiority  with  an  incomparable  display  of  artistic  excellence 
constitutes  the  highest  form  of  ceramic  art,  I  venture  to  say 
that  it  is  in  a  choice  piece  of  Deck's  faience  that  one  may  look 
for  the  nearest  approach  to  ideal  perfection.  The  Persian  potter, 
with  his  amazing  command  over  the  magic  of  colour,  has  never 
obtained  anything  that  surpasses  the  gem-like  effects  produced 
by  a  happy  combination  of  the  bright,  chatoyant  and  harmonious 
enamels  used  by  Theodore  Deck ;  in  addition  to  this,  no  super- 
cilious art  critic  could  look  down  on  one  of  Deck's  decorative 
panels  as  a  merely  commercial  article;  in  the  hands  of  his 
talented  collaborators,  faience  painting  ceased  to  be  one  of  the 
minor  arts ;  the  restrictions  imposed  upon  the  artist  by  the 
limitations  of  the  process  detract  nothing  from  the  final  merit 
of  his  work. 

Deck  was  a  self-made  man  in  the  best  sense  of  the  word. 
At  the  end  of  his  apprenticeship  in  a  stove  factory  at  Strasburg^ 
he  started  on  foot  to  visit  the  pottery  works  of  the  north  of 
Europe,   and   by    taking   temporary  employment   in    the   best 


THE    REVIVAL   OF   FAIENCE   PAINTING.  169 

establishments,  he  acquired  a  consummate  knowledge  of  all 
branches  of  the  trade.  He  came  to  Paris,  where,  for  a  few  years, 
he  acted  as  foreman  to  the  important  manufactory  of  slabs  and 
earthenware  stoves  of  Madame  Dumas.  But  his  budding  ambi- 
tion could  not  rest  satisfied  with  a  dependent  situation.  A  designer 
and  modeller  of  no  common  taste,  if  not  of  much  acquired 
talent,  he  dreamed  of  breaking  away  from  obsolete  traditions  and 
creating  a  new  style  of  pottery  better  calculated  to  answer  the 
artistic  tendencies  of  the  moment.  He  was  impressed  with  the 
idea  that  a  complete  transformation  of  the  potter's  art  could 
only  be  effected  by  enlisting  into  the  service  of  the  cause  the 
interest  and  assistance  of  the  most  talented  among  the  young- 
painters  of  the  day.  He  also  knew  that  to  gain  this  end  it  was 
imperative  that  technical  means  very  superior  to  those  employed 
in  the  trade  should  be  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  artist.  For 
a  long  time  he  toiled  in  silence  and  secrecy,  and  gradually 
mastered  the  composition  of  new  bodies  and  glazes  which  per- 
mitted the  use  of  a  variety  of  colours  embracing  all  degrees 
of  delicacy  and  intensity.  It  was  in  the  Persian  and  Rhodian 
faience,  the  first  specimens  of  which  had  just  come  under 
general  notice,  that  he  found  the  fundamental  notions  on 
which  he  meant  to  establish  a  completely  new  style  of 
manufacture. 

Not  only  did  he  succeed  in  producing  turquoises  and  azure 
blues,  warm  greens,  dark  purples  and  scarlet  reds  equal  to  those 
seen  laid  in  fiat  tints  on  the  the  Rhodian  ware,  but  he  found 
the  way  of  blending  these  colours  to  serve  the  purposes  of  the 
figure  painter. 

A  dilapidated  store-house  on  the  Boulevard  Montparnasse 
had  been  hastily  turned  into  a  workshop ;  it  contained  the 
indispensable  potter's  wheel,  a  few  tables  and  benches,  and 
two  small  kilns  standing  at  the  far  end.  There,  every  weekda}', 
Deck  was  at  work  with  his  brother,  throwing,  turning,  decorat- 
ing, and  firing  a  small  stock  of  vases  and  dishes.  On  Sundays 
a  few  young  and  friendly  artists,  all  of  the  Bohemian  persuasion, 


170  FRENCH    FAIENCE. 

assembled  in  the  extempore  atelier,  anxious  to  see  the  results 
obtained  in  the  last  firing,  and  ready  to  make  more  trials  with 
ceramic  colours.  It  was  a  hard  day's  work,  interrupted  only 
by  the  luncheon  hour,  a  pleasant  interval  in  which  capital 
jokes  were  cracked,  and  cheap  wine  freely  imbibed  by  the 
witty  and  cheerful  party.  At  the  end  of  the  day  each  painter 
had  covered  with  a  light  sketch  of  his  own  invention  a  vase 
or  a  plate  ;  a  mere  suggestion  of  decorative  effects  which  might 
be,  later  on,  more  fully  brought  out  in  a  finished  piece.  Such 
were  the  modest  beginnmgs  of  the  greatest  of  all  French 
potters. 

The  earliest  outcome  of  the  unprecedented  collaboration  of 
a  practical  man  of  Deck's  stamp  with  artists  who,  like  Hamon, 
Ranvier,  Hermann,  Hancker,  and  others,  united  accomplished 
talent  to  natural  originality,  could  not  fail  to  take  the 
amateurs'  world  by  surprise.  The  success  of  Deck's  faience 
was  sudden  and  immense. 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  working  capital  of  the  enter- 
prise was  meagre  in  the  extreme.  But  by  the  geniality  of  his 
manners,  the  straightforwardness  and  honesty  of  his  dealings, 
the  leader  had  won  the  confidence  and  friendship  of  all  those 
who  worked  in  association  with  him.  His  painters  were  satisfied 
to  wait  for  the  remuneration  of  their  work  until  the  advent 
of  an  eventual  purchaser.  Owing  to  these  conditions,  and 
notwithstanding  the  scantiness  of  his  financial  resources.  Deck 
had  his  small  show-room  always  full  of  remarkable  works  of 
art  which,  under  ordmary  circumstances,  could  not  have  been 
brought  together  without  an  enormous  outlay.  Up  to  the 
end  his  transactions  with  artists  were  subject  to  a  similar 
settlement. 

Without  the  assistance  of  foreign  capital,  as  business 
was  steadily  increasing,  the  premises  were  enlarged ;  the  humble 
Avorkshop  developed  into  a  spacious  manufactory.  Deck  assumed 
an  unrivalled  position  among  the  makers  of  artistic  pottery 
growing  every  day  more  numerous.     His  style  of  manufacture 


THE   REVIVAL   OF   FAIENCE    PAINTING.  171 

was  imitated  by  man}^  but  the  high  standard  of  his  productions 
was  never  approached.  Artists  of  great  repute  did  not  disdain 
to  display  their  talents  upon  his  matchless  faience;  the 
making  of  plaques  and  dishes  worth  as  much  as  four  or  five 
hundred  pounds  was  a  common  occurrence,  and  enthusiastic 
amateurs  were  not  slow  in  securing  possession  of  them.  The 
reward  was  equal  to  the  results  achieved ;  no  other  potter  has, 
perhaps,  during  his  lifetime  enjoyed  such  a  well-deserved  and 
universal  fame.  His  appointment  as  director  of  the  national 
factory  of  Sevres,  a  position  that  no  practical  potter  had  occupied 
before  him,  added  official  sanction  to  his  pubHc  success.  Death 
carried  him  away,  unfortunately,  before  he  had  time  to  carry  out 
the  changes  and  improvements  he  intended  to  introduce  in  the 
conduct  of  the  national  establishment. 

Entering  into  competition  with  Deck  for  the  imitation  of 
Persian  faience,  several  manufacturers  took  their  inspiration 
from  the  same  sources.  A.  de  Beaumont  and  Collinot,  and 
later  on  Parvillier,  greatly  extended  the  making  of  tiles, 
panels,  and  decorative  objects  chiefly  intended  for  architectural 
purposes,  all  painted  in  the  Oriental  style.  Ornamental  and 
elegant  as  were  the  designs,  the  ware  itself  lacked  the  technical 
superiority  that  Deck  alone  could  impart  to  the  bod}^  the 
glazes,  and  the  colours.  These  enterprises,  well  patronised  at 
the  outset,  lasted  but  a  few  years,  and  collapsed  without  having 
yielded  what  was  expected  of  them. 

Brief  also  were  the  days  of  many  smaller  establishments 
that  a  passing  fashion  had  brought  into  existence.  I  may 
briefly  mention  the  faience  of  Jean,  which  purported  to  imitate 
Italian  majolica,  and  was  painted  over  the  glaze  with  designs 
not  always  in  classical  taste.  An  immense  quantity  of  it  was 
manufactured  and  sold.  Genlis  and  Eudhart  produced  a  white 
ware  much  appreciated  for  the  brilliancy  of  its  glaze  and  the 
delicacy  of  a  decoration  traced  in  pale  blue  after  the  Moustiers 
style. 

A  reference  to  the   catalogues  of  the  universal  exhibitions 


172  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

shows  how    numerous    are    the    names    of    the    potter-artists, 
now  forgotten,  who  profited  by  a  momentary  success. 

I  purposely  refram  from  speaking  of  the  regular  manu- 
facturers who  stood  then  at  the  head  of  the  trade,  and  still 
occupy  the  same  honourable  position,  joining  the  making  of 
artistic  pottery  to  the  manufacture  of  domestic  ware.  Any- 
thing I  might  attempt  to  introduce  concerning  their  produc- 
tions would  either  carry  me  away  too  far  or  be  altogether 
inadequate.  I  may  have  to  apologise  for  havmg  devoted  so 
many  pages  to  the  modern  revival  of  faience  painting  in  an 
account  which  was  intended  to  deal  only  with  the  history  of 
old  French  faience. 


I 


MARKS 


OF     THE 


FRENCH     FAIENCE 


I 


/^tsrR'9'  -^^^ 


rf 


a 


neueri 


NEVERS  -(1-2)  Marks  of  the  Conbades.    (3)  Denis  Lefbbvee.    (4)  Henri 

BOBNE     (1690).      (5)   NICOLAS    ViODB     (1700).      (6)    FEAN(?0IS    RODKIGUE 

(1715).    (7)  Jacques  Seigne  (1726). 
DI[ON. 
MEILLONAS. 


BOUC/N. 

'     P3    ^     VA 


n!>9 


t% 


6 


-%U&tac.*  ^<^ 


ROUEN.— (1)  Manupactukb  op  Edme  Potekat.      (2)  Lours  Potekat  (P). 

(3)  Fleue-de-Lys  mark.  (4)  DiKUL,  Taintku  (1756).  (5)  HlLAiriK, 
PAINTEE.  (6,  12)  GUILLIBEAUX,  MANUFACTUREK.  (7-8)  LeVAVASSEUE, 
MANTJPACTUIiEE.       (9)   VALLET   BROTHERS     (?).       (10)   GlI.LE,   PAINTED. 

(11)  Borne,  Painter.     (21) 


R.OUE/S.. 


15 


14 


'5   CH 


«6      H        ^ 


17 


15 


F 


19 


20 


31 


32. 


Z^ 


S4 


6:/4\. 


Pa 


*«     T«B 


ROUEN. — Painters'  Marks,  Still  Undetermined,  Found  on  the  Rouen 

Faience. 


sai;nt  cloud. 


%. 


2 


SAINT  CLOUD.-Teou. 

PARIS.— Inscription  on  a  Painted  Dish. 

SINCENY.— (3)  Dominique  Pellev^,  Direotok  of  the  Factory. 


,  LILLE 


3c)G^/^    ^d^^2»^     ^$ 


7    ^  9      "<5 

S4IATr47*\.4»nD-LES*EAUX 


*    5^^  A. 


J5 


*  S'  araand 


LILLE.— (1,  2,  3,  6)  FEANgois  Boussbmabt.     (4)  Nicolas   Alexis  Dobez 
(5)  Lefebvee  and  Petit. 

VALENCIENNES,— FEAN901S  Louis  Dobez. 

SAINT- AMAND-LES-EAUX.—(1,  2)  Pieeee  Fauquez. 


i 

MOUSTIERS 


cL 


MOUSTIERS.— (1)   Cleeissy  and  J.   Fouques.     Gaspakd  Fouques.    (2) 

OlCRYS.     LANGIER   and   ChAIX.      (3)  AOHAKD   AND    MiLLB.      ('!)  BOUDIL 

AND  Son.    (5)  Etienne,  Antoine,  and  Louis  Feeeat.    (6)  Febbaud 
AND  HIS  Sons. 


ARDOS 


/^ONTAUBAN 
CUER/^.OND 

FERGAJSD  ^    _n 

6  /  ^^'  7non  c/f 
SA/'VADET 

ARDUS.— (1)  DupEfi,  PAINTER.    (2)  Louise  Ruellb  Pichon,  Manufacturer 

AND  Painter. 
MONTAUBAN.— (1)  Lapieree.     (2)  Lapierre  and  Quinquiry. 
CLERMONT-FERRAND, 
SAMADET, 


STIi4SBURC 


9 


TlIDEm^ILLER. 


%  IK 


^. 


2L 


I 


STRASBURG— Marks  op  the  HANNONas. 
NIDERVILLER.— De  BEYBRLfi.    Comte  de  Custinb. 


MARSEILLES. 

1  A'  CUrhsy 

<a.  mdrfeille  — 

4  XcicqaiA   KoneUy 


S 


MARSEILLES —Antoine   CLfEissY.     (2)  Honoek  Savy.    (3,  8,  9)  Joseph 

ROBERT.     (4,  6)  JACQUES  BOKELLY.     (5)  VeUVE  PEBEIN.     (7)  FAUCHIEZ. 


LA  ROCHEliE 


i^ocnflid 


SCE^UX 

»   5P  '^  -t-    ^  cb 


APRCY 


^r    'M     'R^ 


LA  ROCHELLE.— (1)  De  Briqueville. 
SCEAUX,— (1)  ScEAux— Penthievres. 
APREY.— Marks  of  Jarry  and  other  Painters. 


IIENNE3 

*    GHOISI  F^ 

NANTE5  CgMMPm 

I^RPTllVAdEAV*        1^ 

$A!NT  OMEft 

H 

VRON 

DOUAI  1     o    i^ 

Leigh  CaxJ^ 

RENNES.-(l)  HiEEL  DE  Choisy.    (2,  3)  Michel  Derennes. 

QUIMPER.— La  Hubeaudieee. 

NANTES*— Name  Inscribed  on  a  piece  attributed  to  Nantes. 

SAINT  OMER. 

VRON.— Verlingue. 

DOUAI. 


186 


6!o$$arp* 

Agrate  or  marbled  ware.  Pottery  made  of  various  coloured  clays, 
mingled  together  so  as  to  give  something  of  the  effect  of  banded 
agate.  Made  at  Apt  and  Castellet  in  imitation  of  the  Stafford- 
shire productions  {see  p.  94). 

Armorial  faience.  Table  services  decorated  with  the  armorial 
bearings  of  noble  families,  religious  houses,  etc.  These  form 
a  distinctive  class  of  the  faience  produced  at  Rouen,  Lille, 
Nevers,  Paris,  Bordeaux,  etc.  (see  pp.  9,  67,  68,  77  and  96). 

Black  basalt.  A  hard  black  stoneware  perfected  by  Josiah  "Wedg- 
wood, and  imitated  by  several  French  potters  (see  p.  78). 

Body  or  paste.  The  mixture  of  clays  and  earths  from  which  any 
article  of  clay  is  fashioned. 

*'Broderies."  A  class  of  patterns,  invented  at  Rouen,  and  thence 
copied  at  many  of  the  later  French  factories,  based  on  the 
current  embroidery  patterns  of  the  day. 

CockspUPS.  Small  pieces  of  refractory  pottery  having  sharp  points, 
used  to  support  the  ware  during  firing.  Indentations  or  marks 
under  the  piece  often  show  where  they  have  been  used  (see 
p.  119).  ^ 

Colours.  _  Only  mineral  substances  can  be  used  in  painting  faience 
owing  to  the  temperature  at  which  they  must  be  fired.  The 
earlier  French  faience  was  decorated  with  shades  of  blue,  green, 
yellow,  orange,  violet,  and  at  Rouen  and  sparingly  elsewhere 
with  a  fine  Indian  red.  These  colours  were  painted  on  the 
coating  of  stanniferous  glaze  before  it  was  fired,  and  were  fired 
sufiiciently  to  become  incorporated  with  it.  Later,  following 
the  method  of  Strasburg,  other  colours  were  produced,  notably 
the  gold-purples,  carmines,  and  rose  colours,  in  which  a  fluxed 
colour  was  painted  on  the  previously  fired  stanniferous  glaze, 
and  retired  at  a  temperature  not  much  above  dull  red  "heat, 
which  served  to  fasten  the  colour  on  the  glaze  without  re- 
melting  the  latter. 

"Coperta."  The  final  film  of  lead  glazo  put  on  the  later  Italian 
Majolica  painting,  which  acted  like  a  varnish  and  increased 
the  brilliance  of  the  colours.  This  practice  was  not  followed  in 
France. 


GLOSSARY.  187 

Crazing-.     Fine  cracks  in  the  glaze  of  any  variety  of  pottery    indi- 
cating, a  ^yant  of  agreement  between  the  glaze  and  the  body. 
Cream    colour.      A    name    often   used  for   the   slightly   yeUowxsh- 
earthenware  perfected  in  Staffordshire  in  the  hrst  half  of  the 
eighteenth  century.  „  ,,      ,        j 

Delft  ware.     The  faience  so  largely  produced  in  Holland,  and  par- 
ticulariy   in    Delft    during    the    seventeenth    and    eighteenth 
centuries,  in  imitation  of  Oriental    porcelain      It  had  a^  great 
SCnce'  on   the    faience    produced   in    the   Northern    French 
factories,  as  well  as  in  those  of  England. 
Enamel      The  term  should  be  restricted  to  a  glaze  rendered  opaque 
by  oxide  of  tin.     The  ordinary  white  glaze  of  French  faience  is 
thus,  strictly  speaking,   an  enamel.     Among  potters  the  word 
is  loosely  used  for  the  colours  that  are  painted  only  on  a  med 
glaze. 
Fnamellinff.     Technically,  painting  in  enamel  or  on-glaze  colours. 
F^^^S.  Earthenware.     The  ware   differs  from  French  faience  in 
^"^^'tlmost    e\^^^^  The   body   is    white   throughout   its 

substance,  and  glazed  with  a  transparent  glaze.  On  its  intro- 
duction ikto  F?ance  it  was  readily  copied,  and  ultimate  y 
superseded  stanniferous  faience.  Such  wares  are  commonly 
known  in  France  as  "Faience  fine,"  "  Cailloutage,"  or  "  Terre- 
de-Pipe."  , 

«  Faience."     Strictly,  pottery  formed  of  clays  burnmg  to  a  lignt  red 
oi  yellow  colour,  covered  with  a  lead  glaze  rendered  opaque  by 
the  addition  of  oxide  of  tin.     The  word  is  now  used  m  a  general 
sense  to  indicate  all  the  pottery  of  greater  artistic  pretence  than 
common  crocks,  and  not  sufficiently  vitrified  by  fire  as  to  rank 
as  stoneware  or  porcelain.     It  is  thus  practically  synonymous 
with  our  word  earthenware. 
"Faience   au   reverlDere."      Another   term   for   faience    decorated 
with  enamel  colours,  so  called  because  the  colours  are  fired  m  a 
muffle  kiln  (four  a  reverbere). 
«'  PaiPnee  fine."     The  French  term  used  for  such  wares  as  English 
earthenware,  cream  colour,  etc.,  which  have  now  replaced  the 
older  stanniferous  faience. 
"  FaiPnpe-norcelaine."     The   later  porcelains   decorated  \yith   on- 
^^'^glaze^co^^^^^^^^     as  to  give  the  appearance  or  effect  of  the  more 
expensive  porcelain  {see  pp.  107,  112,  119  and  120). 
«'  Faiences  Japon^eS."     A  trade  term  applied  to  the  French  faience 
decorated   with   patterns   taken   from   Japanese    and    Chinese 
porcelain. 
"FaiPnces  TSatriotiques."     The  commoner  forms  of  French  faience 
^^    Sucef  iX?e  quantities  during  the  Revolutionary  peW, 
and  coarsely  decorated  with  topical  cartoons   and  mscriptions 
(see  pp.  12  and  54). 


188  FRENCH   FAIENCE. 

Flux.  A  very  fusible  glass,  generally  rich  in  lead,  which  is  added  to 
colouring  materials  or  gold  to  fuse  them  into  the  glaze  or 
stanniferous  enamel,  which  has  been  previously  fired  at  a  higher 
temperature  than  such  colours  will  endure. 

Galena  Glaze.  The  primitive  form  of  pottery  glaze,  obtained  by 
dusting  powdered  lead  ore  (galena)  on  the  clay  ware  before 
firing  [see  p.  3). 

Glaze.  The  vitreous  coating  of  pottery  generally  {see  also  Stanniferous 
glaze). 

"GreS  de  ThivierS."  A  ferruginous  sandstone  found  at  Thiviers, 
in  P^rigord.  As  found,  it  is  of  a  yellow  colour,  but  when  fired 
it  becomes  a  solid  and  beautiful  red,  which  can  be  used  as  a 
pigment  on  pottery  (see  p.  70). 

ImpastO.  Clay  or  enamel  colours  laid  so  thickly  on  to  the  ware  as 
to  stand  up  in  relief  from  its  surface ;  s.c. — The  so-called 
Persian  patterns  produced  at  Nevers  in  white  enamel  on  a  blue 
ground. 

*'  Lambrequins."  The  scalloped  radiating  designs  originated  at 
Kouen,  and  thence  adopted  at  most  of  the  later  French  faience 
factories. 

Lead  Glazes.  Glazes  which  are  rendered  more  easily  fusible  by 
reason  of  their  containing  a  considerable  proportion  of  lead 
oxide.  In  this  sense  all  faience  glazes  are  lead  glazes,  though 
the  tei'm  is  generally  applied  only  to  the  transparent  varieties. 

Majolica.  Strictly,  this  term  should  be  applied  only  to  the  painted 
and  lustred  faiences  of  Italy,  but  it  is  often  used  in  a  wider 
sense  to  cover  all  the  ware,  made  or  decorated,  in  the  Italian 
manner. 

Majolist.  A  potter  working  with  the  methods  or  after  the  manner 
of  the  Italian  majolica  makers. 

MarzaeottO.  A  term  used  by  the  Italian  majolica  makers  for  the 
potash  glass  used  as  a  flux.  Sometimes  it  contained  lead  in 
addition,  and  could  then  be  used  as  a  final  glaze  or  "coperta" 
{q.v.). 

"  Peinture  sup  ^mail  Cru."  The  earlier  form  of  faience  painting 
in  which  the  mineral  colours  were  painted  directly  on  the 
powdery  glaze-coating  before  it  was  fired.  The  colours  and  the 
white  stanniferous  glaze  were  therefore  fired  at  one  operation 
{c.f.  Colours). 

"  Peinture  SUr  email  CUit."  On-glaze  painting.  The  pigments 
mixed  with  a  flux  were  painted  on  the  fired  glaze,  and  then 
refired  at  a  lower  temperature  {c.f.  Colours). 

"  PoncifS."  Perforated  paper  patterns  by  which  a  design  could  be 
"  pounced  "  on  to  the  ware  as  a  guide  in  painting. 


GLOSSARY.  189 

Queen's  ware.  The  name  given  by  Wedgwood  to  his  improved 
cream  colour  when  he  made  a  service  for  Queen  Carolme. 

Slip.  The  thick  liquid  obtained  by  mixing  clay  or  any  body-mixture 
with  water. 

Soft  porcelain.  A  name  given  to  artificial  glassy  porcelain,  the 
famous  jMte  tendre  of  the  French,  because  it  can  be  readily 
abraded  by  a  file,  while  Oriental  porcelain  cannot. 

"  Sopra  Bianco."  A  charming  method  of  decoration,  in  which  an 
ornamental  device  is  painted  in  white  enamel,  etc.,  on  a  ground 
but  slightly  removed  from  it  in  tone  {see  also  p.  83). 

Stanniferous  Glaze,  or  enamel.  The  glaze  of  the  old  French  fa,ience, 
as  well  as  of  Delft  and  similar  wares,  in  whicli  a  lead  glaze  is 
rendered  milkv-white  and  opaque  by  the  addition  of  a  consider- 
able proportion  of  oxide  of  tin.  This  serves  at  once  to  hide  the 
natural  colour  of  the  yellow  or  red  body,  and  gives  a  charming 
ground  for  the  display  of  painted  decoration. 
**  Terra  Sig-illata."  A  fine  white  earth,  probably  an  impure  kaolin, 
sold  in  stamped  tablets  as  a  kind  of  universal  panacea.  It  was 
extensively  used  by  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  and  its  use  per- 
sisted throughout  Europe  down  to  the  eighteenth  century. 
Palissy  and  other  French^  potters  knew  of  it,  and  used  it  m 
their  experiments  {see  p.  35). 
*'Terre  de  Lorainne."     Impressed  mark  on  many  LuneviUe  figures 

made  from  a  local  white  clay  {see  p.  lU). 
"Terre  de  Pipe."     Earthenware  after  the  English  fashion. 


INDEX. 


Abaquesne,  Masseot,  5,  6,  61 

Atotoeville,  142 

Agate  ware,  94,  145,  146 

Agen,  30 

Aire-sur-la-Lisse,   140 

Aix,  120 

Alagnat,  J.  d",  97,  98 

Albissola,   48 

Alsace,  114-116 

Ainerioa  (trade  with),  120-122 

Angouleme,  122 

Antilles  (trade  with),  122 

Apollo  (bust  of),  69 

Aprey,  125,  126 

Apt,  15,  94,  95 

Aranda,  Count  of,  90 

Ardus,  10,  92,  93 

Armorial  Faience,   9,   68,  69, 

100,  133 
Arnoux,  L.,  94 
Arnoux,  Widow,  94 
Arras,  138 

Artois,  Comte  d',  110 
Ascanlo,  19 
Astorg,  Louis  d',  101 
Aubagne,    120 
Auch,  100 

Audun-le-Tiche,  116 
Aulnoit,  Houze  de  1',  144,  145 
Aussant,  M.  J.,  129,  131 
Auvillar,  93 

Avisseau,  158,  159,  160,  161 
Avon,  35 


Barbarino,   130,   131   {see  also 

Forasassi) 
Barbizet,  160 
Barbotine  painting,  166 
Baron,  88,  130 

Barthelemy,  C.  (see  Blemont) 
Basalt  Black,  78,  146 
Basso,  L.,  98 
Bayard,  C„  115,  116 
Bayol,  C,  130 
Beaulat,  Claude,  35 
Beaumoni;  and  CoUinot,   171 
Becar,  G.,  82 
Belleisle,  J.  R.  de,  84 
Bellevue,  near  Toul,  11,  115, 

116 
Benvenuto,  19 
Berain,  J.,  10,  53,  88,  95,  97 
Bernard,  J.,  20 
Bertrand,   79 

Beyerle,  Baron  de,  112,  113 
Beyerl6,  Madame  de,  112 
Binet,  J..    77 
Blemont,  B.  de,  5,  35 
Booh,  15,  116 
Bodin,  D.,  122 
Bois-le-Comte,  54 
Bonafl6,  E..  21 
Bordeaux,  15,  95,  97 
j;orelli  (or  Borelly),  J.,  120 
Jioxno,  C,  79 
Borne,  M.  S,,  GO 


Bornier,  121 

Borniola,   H.,   132 

Bossu,  J.,  80 

Bouchard,  58 

Boulogne-sur-Mer.    141-143 

Boulonne,  C,  140 

Bouquet,  167 

Bourcier,  B.,  50 

Bourg,  56,  57 

Bourg-la-Eeine,  164 

Bourgoin,  130 

Bousquet,  J.  B.,  133 

Boussemart,  F.,  80,  81 

Bouttin,  64 

Boyer,  F.,  115,  116 

Bressuire,  21 

Brinqueville,  G.  de,  116 

Briot,  Frangois,  33 

Bris,  J.,  144 

Bristol,  15 

Brizambourg,  31 

"  Broderies,"  or  Embroi- 
dery patterns,  7,  67,  70,  74, 
76,  88 

Broedeslain,  M.^  139 

Brou  (church  of),  41 

Brussels,  138 

Burgundy,  Duke  of,  138 

Burslem,  15 


Cabaret,  P.  A„  125 

Cafiaggiolo,  132 

Calais.  143 

Callot,  J.,  10,  58,  91,  100 

Canada  (trade  with),  122 

Candart',  139 

Cartier,  F.,  116 

Castel-Durante,  44 

Castellat,  94 

Catarnet,  121 

Caussy,  P.,  135 

Chambery,  58 

Chambon,  79 

Chambrette,  J.  and  G.,  114 

Champfleury,  12 

Chapelet,  166,  167 

Chapelle,  J.,  78,  123,  124 

Cbapelle,  Pierre,  69 

Charmoy,  E.  de,  130 

Charpentier,  F.,  20 

Cliateau  d'Ecouen,  5,  33,  61 

Chateau  de  Madrid,  5 

Chelles,  Convent  of,  77 

Chicanneau,  65,  66,  74,  77,  81 

Clioisy,  H.  de,  130 

Clark,  W.,  15,  145 

Ci^rissy,  or  Clericy,  A.,  5,  35, 
87,  116,  117;  Jean,  87;  P., 
10,  87,  88;  P.  ii.,  88,  89,  90, 
94,  117 

C16rissy  (of  Varages),  92 

Clermont-Ferrand,  10,  97,  93 

Clock  dials,  96 

Clodion  (sculptor),  116 

Cloquet,  Dr.  J.,  158 

Cobbler  (statuette),  115 


Colbert,  64 

Collections  (see  also  Mu- 
seums), Davilliers,  116; 
Dino,  Due  de,  44;  Dutait, 
25;  Fountain,  25;  Franks, 
99;  Hamilton  Palace,  69; 
Rothschild,  Baron  G.,  69; 
Tollin,  44 

Colours,  Enamel,  11,  12,  13, 
107,  118,  119,  120,  122,  124,  126 

Combe,  Josepli,  42 

Ccnrade,  Antoine,  50;  Augus- 
tin,  49;  Augustin  ii.,  49; 
Baptiste,  49;  Dominique, 
48,  49;   Dominique  ii..  50 

Conrades,  The,  6,  48,  49,  50, 
52,  117 

Cornucopia  patterns,  71 

Cousin,  Jean,  33 

Creil,  146 

Custine,  Count,  113 

Cvstode,  Pierre,  50 

Custodes,  The,  50,  63 

Cyffle,  Paul  Louis,  115 


Dammann,  145 

Darning  Girl  (statue-tte),  115 

Davillier,  J.  C,  99,  117 

De  Bey,  123 

De  Briqueville,  121 

Deck,  Theodore,  168,  171 

Delaresse,  J.,  117 

Delft   and   Delft  ware,   6,   8, 

15,  53,  63,  67,  71,  76,  138 
Delia  Robbia,  Andrea,  162 
Delia  Robbia,  Girolamo,  5,  19 
Delia  Robbia,  Luca,  154 
Delmas,  93 

Demigennes,   Gerard,   132 
Denia,  90 

D&svres,  140,  141,  142 
Devers,  G.,  162,  163 
Digne,  77 
Dijon,  55,  56 
Dorez,       Barthelemy,       81; 

Claude,   82;    F.   Louis,   82; 

J.  B.,  82 
Douai,  15,  139,  143,  145 
Dresden,  53,  72 
Duboe,  121 
Du  Frasny,  51 
Du  Lattay,  131 
Dumas,  Madame,  169 
Dunkirk,  138 
D  up  out,  56 
Dupr6-Poulaine,   140 


Earthenware,  English,  13,  15, 
72,  78,  83,  97,  114.  133,  139, 
143,  144,  145,  165,  166 

Ecouen,  Chateau  of,  5,  33,  61 

Edme,  14,  78 

Epinal,  116 

Escalier,  Madame.  168 

Esticnne,   Nicholas,   50 


INDEX. 


191 


Faenza,  1,  6,  7,  41,  48,  52,  61, 

63,  137 
Faience  fine,   14,  78,   125,   139, 

143,  146 
Faience  Japonee,  123 
Faience  Violette,  66 
Faiences   Patriotiques,   12,    43, 

54,  98,  132,  142,  143 
Fauchier,  88 
FaucMez,  118 
Fauquez,  P.  J.,  83 
Fautier,  J.,  95 
Fayard,  J.  B.  de,  78,  80 
Ferque,  M.  de,  143 
Ferraud,  88 
Ferro,  Jean,  6,  131 
Fillon,  Benjamin,  20,  21,  132 
FlambS  glazes,  167 
FloTis,  Frans,  10,  83 
i'ontainebleau,  35 
Ecntainebleau  (school  of),  33 
Fontenay,  129,  130 
Forasassi,  130,  131 
Fouguay,  Nicholas,  69 
Fouque,   Gaspard,  90 
Fouque,  J.,  88,  89,  90 
Fopque,  J.  ii.,  94,  85 
Fourray,  132 
Frankeoithal,  109,  120 

Gaidan,  163 

Galena  glaze,  3,  32 

Gamhin,  Julien,  41,  48 

Gtmbln,   Scipion,  6,  48,   51 

Garnier,  E.,  78 

Gaudry,  83 

Gelz,  105 

Genest,  77 

Genlls  and  Rudhart,  171 

Genoa,  42 

Gerspach,  111 

Ghent,  80 

Giorgio  Maestro,  7 

Giroussens,  100 

Glot,  Richard,  124,  125 

Gonzague,  Charles  de,  49 

Gonzagae,  Louis  de,  6,  47,  48, 

49,  51 
Gonzague,  Marie  de,  49 
Gonffier  family),  20 
Gournay,  120 
"  Gres  Anglais,"  144 
Grifio,  41 

Guermer,   Charles,  132 
Gulbal  (sculptor),  115 
Guinea,    New    (trade    with), 

122 

Haguenau,   106,    107,    109,   111 

Hall,  Merlin,  146 

Hallez,  X.,  Ill 

Hamon,  170 

Hancker,   170 

Hangest,  Helen,  Countess  of, 

20 
Hannong,  Balthasar,  107 
Hannong,    Carl   Francis,    11, 

105,  106 
Hannong,  Charles  Adam,  123 
Hannong,  Joseph  Adam,  109, 

110,  111 
Hannong,  Paul  Antoine,  107, 

109,  112,  122 
Hannong,     Pierre     Antoine, 

109,  110 


Haviland's  works,  166 

Hehert,    F,,    77 

Henri  II.,  48;   Henri  IV.,  36 

Henri  II.  ware,  2,  3,  19,  26 

Hereng,    81 

Hermann,  170 

Hesdin,  138,  141 

Hochst,   106,   108 

Houdoy,   J.,   137 

Hubeaudiere,  A.  de  la,  133, 

134 
Hustln,  F.,  96 
Hustin,  J.,  95,  96 


JacQuelines  ("statiuettes),  141 
Jacques,   Ch.   S,,   124 
Jean,  171 

Jehan-de-Moustiers,   138 
Jehan-le-VoleuT,  138 
Johnson,  D.,  97 
Jullien,  124 


Keller,  S„  114 

L'Aulne,  Etienne  de,  33 
La-Bastie  (castle  of),  61 
La-Chapelle-des-Pots,  31,  122 
La-Charite-sur-Loire,  54 
Lambeth,  15 
Lambrequins,  7,  53,  67,  70,  71, 

74,   76,   88 
Lamothe,  Baron  de,  92 
Lanfrey,  F.,   113 
L  an  gres,  125 
Langres  Cathedral,   5 
La  Node,  54 
Lapierre,  93 
La  Rochelle,  121,  122 
Lauche,  P.,  98 
Laugiers,  K) 

Laurins,  The,  164,  165,  168 
Laval,  Madeleine  de,  65 
Lecoq  de  Villeray, 


Le  Croisic,  132 

Leeds,  145 

Lefebvre,  H.  F.,  81 

Lefrangois,  115 

Leigh,  C.  and  J.,  144,  145 

Lelong,  N.,  116, 

Lemire  (sculptor),  113,  115 

Les  Islettes,  116 

Lessore,  E.,  164,  166 

Lestrade,  93 

Lille,  9,  80,  81,  138,  139 

Limoges,  31,  72 

Lisieux,  Abbot  of,  62 

Liverpool,  15 

Longwy,  11,  15 

Lorraine,  79,  114,  116 

Lorraine,  Duke  of,  113,  114 

Louis  XIII.,  36 

Louis  XIV.,  8,  68,  74,  89 

Louis  XV.,  107,  130 

lowenfinck,  108,  109 

Loval,  114 

Luneville,  11,  15,  113,  114,  115 

Lustre  pottery,  99,  161,  165 

Lyons,  6,  41,  43,  47,  48,  57 


Macliecoul,   132 

Maine,  Ducliesse  de,  124 


Majolica,  1,  7.  25,  31,  41,  42, 
43,  44,  49,  52,  88,  117,  130, 
137,  161 

Majolists,  6,  47,  48,  58,  61,  130 

Marans,  121 

Marks:  Aprey,  126;  Apt,  94; 
Ardus,  93;  Clermont-Fer- 
rand, 98;  Douai,  145;  Lille, 
81 ;  Luneville,  115 ;  Lyons, 
42;  Marseilles,  116-119; 
Moustiers,  91;  Nevers,  54; 
Niderviller,  113;  Paris,  76; 
Quimper,  133,  134;  Rouen, 
72 ;  Saint-Amand-les-Eaux, 
83;  Saint-Cloud,  74;  St.- 
Omer,  139;  Sceaux,  125; 
Sfevres,  83 

Marot,  J.,  10,  88,  117 

Marron,  Baron  Hugues  de, 
56,  57 

Marseilles,  11,  35,  57,  88,  90, 
99,  100,  116-121,  131,  133 

Maskelier,  81 

Meillonas,  56,  57 

Meissen,  11,  106,   108,  120 

Meissen  patterns,  108 

Michel,  130 

Mietaz,  58 

Mignon,  78 

Mintons,  94,   165 

Mogery,  H.,  58 

Monestrol,  Marquis  of,  156, 
157 

Montauban,  10,  92,  93 

Montereau,  15,  145,  148 

Montigny,  116 

Montigny,  L.  de,  132 

Montmorency,  Connetable 
de,  33,  47 

Montpellier,  97-93 

Montreuil,  117 

Moreau,   96 

Moreau-Nelaton,        Madame, 

Moulin,   C,  94 

Moulin,  C,  ii.,  94 

Moulins,  The,  15,  95 

Moureton,  121 

Moustiers,  10,  53,  57,  87-91, 
97,  99,   100,   117-118,  133,   154 

Moustiers,  designs,  58,  81,  88, 
88,  90,  94,  96,  98,  117,  171 

Moyen,  114 

Museums  {see  also  Collec- 
tions): Aix-les-Bains,  58; 
Borely  (Marseilles),  88; 
Boulogne,  141;  British,  The, 
41,  99;  Dresden,  The,  108: 
Louvre,  The,  41,  99,  158; 
Nancy,  112;  Nantes,  152; 
Nevers^  54;  Rouen,  14,  69, 
72.  73;  Saint-Omer,  137,  138, 
140,  141;  Sevres,  62,  76,  80, 
94.  138;  Victoria  and  Al- 
bert, 69,  80 

Musset,  G.,  121 


Nancy,  116 

Nantes,  6,  131-132 

Narbonne,  99 

Narbonne,  hospital  of,  117 

Nevers,  6,  9,  10,  12,  47-55,  57, 

53,  62,  63,  70,  83,  87,  99,  117, 

124,   147,   154,   157 
Nevers  designs,  96,  98 


192 


INDEX. 


Nevers,  Persian  style  of,  52, 

139 
Nldervlller,  11,  15,  112,  113 
Nimes,  6,  43,  44 
Nlvernais,  potteries  of,  54 
No§l,  8,  167,  168 
Nurse  (sta;tii6tte),  35 

Oberzell,  108 
Olron  ware,  20,  21 
Olerys,  L.,  90,  91 
Olivier   (Aprey),   126 
Olivier  (Montpellier),  99 
Olllvier  (Paris),  78 
Orleans,  15,  156 
Orleans,  Ducliess  of,  77 

Pain,  Bayley,  and  Shirley, 
143 

Palissy,  Bernard,  4,  13,  29-35, 
37,  155,  156,  159 

Palissy,  Mathurin,  35 

Palissy,  Nicholas,  35 

Palissy  (school  of),  5,  13,  35, 
36 

Palissy  ware,  2,  25,  29,  37,  47, 
154,  157,  158 

Palissy  ware  (imitations), 
36,  157,  158,  159,  160 

Paris,  14,  15,  19,  74-78,  110 

Parvillier,   171 

Patras,  42 

Pelleve,  P.,  78,  84 

Pelloquln,  88 

Pentlilevre,    Due   de,   125 

Pcrrin,  Widow,  120 

Petite,  Philippe,  81 

Philip,   A.,   99 

Picart,  82 

P!doux,  57 

Pierrot,  M.,  116 

Pisa,  43 

Poirel,  Nicholas  (Sieur  de 
Grandval)    62,  64,  66,  67 

Poitou,  20,  21 

Poland,  King  of,  113,  115 

Pompadour,  Madame  de,  89 

Ponts,  Count  Antolne  de,  47 

Porcelain:  German,  13,  123, 
126;  Luneville,  114;  Ori- 
ental, 6,  9,  13,  31,  63, 
71,  117;  Poterat's,  65, 
81;  Saxon,  112;  Saint- 
Cloud,  65;  Sevres,  75; 
Strasburg,  108;  Vincennes, 
75;    French  (hard),  151 

Poterat,  Edme,  6,  61,  62,  63, 
67 

Poterat,  Louis,  6,  65,  67,  81 

Poterat,    Michel,    67 

Potter,  15,  78 

Pettier,  A.,  24,  66,  72 

Printing  transfer,  146,  151 

Provence,  10,  15,  87 

Provence,  Count  of,  119 

Prudhomme,  J.,  140 

Pull,  160 

Queen's  ware,  146 
Qulmper,  9,  133,  134 
Quiver  patterns,  71 


Rambervillers,  116 
Ranvier,  170 
Rernes,  129,  131 
Reverend,  C,  8,  75,  76 
Revolution,    French,    12,  83, 

96,  98,  113,  125,  139 
Rib6,  A.,  131 

Richelieu,  Marshal  de,  89 
Ridolfi  brothers,  132 
Rigal,  M.,  93 
Ringler,  108 
Ris-Paquot,  122 
Rivas  factory,  132 
Roanne,  42 

Robert,  J.  G.,  92,  119,  120 
Rochelle,  La,  121,  122 
Rohan,  Princes  de,  110,  111 
Rolland,  J.,  132 
Roquepine,  Abbe  de,  100 
Roth,  G.  J.,  108 
Rouen,  5,  6,  9,  10,  11,  14,  51, 

53,   61-73,   78,  80.   84,   133 
Rouen  designs,  58,  67,  68, 

70,  71,  74,  76,  77,  79,  80, 

Rouen,  red  colour,  70,  76,  79, 

90 
Rouen    style,    80,     130,     132 

133,   139,   140 
Rouen    ware,    7,    8,    9,    61-73 

77,  79,  83,  87,  147,  154,  157 
Rouse,  H.,  88 
Rouse,  P.,  88 
Rousseng,  P.,  121 
Rttelle,  Louise,  93 
RuEgls,  156 


Saint-Amand-les-Eaux,  15,  82- 

83, 
Saint-Clement,  114,  115 
Saint-Cloud,    8,    9,    65,    73-74, 

75,  77,  81 
Saint-Crick,  M.  de,  146 
Saint-Denis-sur-Sarthon,  84 
Salutes,  30,  33,  122 
Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne,    57 
Saint-Omer,  14,  137-139 
Saint-Pierre-les-Calais,   143 
Saint-Porchaire,    21,   22,    23 
Saint-Sever   (Rouen),   64 
Salnt-Verain,   54 
Saladin,  114,  138 
Samadet,  99-101 
Sarreguemines,    15,    116,    146- 

147 
Savignat,  A..  97 
Savona,  6,  48,  49,  52,  88,  117, 

120 
Savoy,  57 

Savy,  Honore,  118,  119,  120 
Sazerac,  L.,  122 
Sceaux,  11,  75,  78,  123-125 
Seasons  (busts),  69 
Seytfontaines,  15 
S&vres,    75,    83,    110,    130,    165, 

171 
Shaw,  R.,  15,  145 
Sigalon,  A.,  6,  43 
Sinceny,  9,  11,  78-79,  84,  139 
Solom6,  88 


"  Sopra  Bianco,"  83 
Sta,  J.  F.,  140 

Staffordshire,  14,  144,  145,  146 
Stoves,  58,  77,  78 
Strasburg,  11,  79,  105-111,  112, 

114 
Strasburg  style,  116,  120,  121, 

140 
Strasburg  ware,  11,  72,  79,  81, 

83,  115 


Tardessir,  6,  41 

Tavernes,  92 

Tempesta,  A.,  10,  88,  117 

Terra  Sigillata,  35 

Terre  de  Lorraine,  115 

Terre  de  Pipe,  14,  72,  146 

Thionville,    116 

Thiviers  stone,  70 

Tho'uars,   20,  21 

Tiles,  5,  8,  21,  42,  61,  62,  137. 

142,   143 
Toby  jugs,  141 
Toro,  B.,  10,  53,  88,  90,  95,  97, 

117 
Tory,  Geoffroy,  19 
Tortat,  162 
Toul,  116 
Toulon,   120 
Toulouse,  96,  98 
Tournay,  80,  83 
Tours,  159 
Trevans,  89 

Trianon  of  Porcelain,  8,  74 
Trou,  74 

Tuilerles,  33,  54,  35 
Tuscany,  41 
Tutrel,  131 

Ulysse  of  Blois,  161 
Urbino,  7,  44,  61 
Utzsohneider,  15,  116,  146 

Valenciennes,  81-82 

Varages,  91-92 

Varzy,  84 

Vaucouleurs,  116 

Vaumort,  131 

Verdier,   D.,   93 

Verlingue,  142 

Viellard,  97 

Vienna,  108 

Vlllehaut,  Lallemand  de,  125 

Vincennes,  75 

Vincennes  manufactory,  109 

Virv,  G.,  88,  117 

Viry,  J.  B.,  88,  118 

Vrilliere,  Dubois  de  la,  130 

Vron,    142,   143 

Wackenfeld,  11,  106 
Wamps,  J.  B.,  81 
Watteau  subjects,  71,  83 
Wedgwood,  Josiah,  14,  78 
Wedgwood,  Josiah,  and  Sons, 
165 


Xanto,   Fra,  7 


Printed  by  Cassell  &  Company,  Limited,  La  Belle  Sauvaoe,  London,  E.G. 


GETTY  RESEARCH  INSTITUTE 


3  3125  01392  0950 


